An Alternative's Return

[krpalmer]

Although aware another test flight of a space capsule to carry astronauts to the space station was approaching, it was still a surprise to look at the NASA site one day and see the Boeing Starliner had launched and made it to its destination. The last time that had been attempted, something had gone awry and the capsule had returned to Earth without ever managing to dock. A certain number of disparaging comments about “the establishment” followed, and in the time since that first test the Crew Dragon is now carrying (very) deep-pocketed ticket-buyers into space. Even so, for all that SpaceX has accomplished things a part of me remains cautious about becoming “too big a fan,” and seeing an alternative also being coaxed into working is appealing. I made a point of watching streaming coverage of the Starliner capsule parachuting down to the desert, and happened to recall impressions of a rather old book I’d found in my local library when young that had looked ahead to Apollo capsules managing to land in the desert once upon a time, if I’m remembering that right.