#atlas-team-valv

[teamlarl]

Mistrali Civil War Gang

@ajuiisms @atlas-team-valv

[solar-throne]

[ @atlas-team-valv cont. X ]

"Oh! So what happened.." Milo's bright eyes perked up, ready to launch into an excited spiel of the events that led up to the mangling of his prosthetic arm. A hole was left through the hand detaching whatever mechanism allows for movement of his fingers.

"Ah," He deflated as his story was cut off before it could even start. "Well, I figured it was about time for a tune-up anyways! Plus, I didn't let anyone on base touch it!" He presented his hand cautiously, know he was about to get into trouble.

[cherrybladebun]

I recently got my submission for a Lego Portal Test Chamber accepted on Lego Ideas!

I recently took on a small pet project of redesigning one of my earliest MOCS into a diorama and decided to submit it to Lego Ideas. It was accepted for the site so if you are a fan of Portal and Portal 2, give this a support! We can make more Portal merchandise a reality and we can start getting some Brick-Based Testing done! 

Click Here to Support on Lego Ideas!

[beardedmrbean]

NASA and Boeing were forced to stand down from an attempted launch to the International Space Station on Monday because of a last-minute issue that cropped up with a valve on the spacecraft’s rocket.

Boeing’s Starliner capsule had been scheduled to lift off at 10:34 p.m. ET from Florida’s Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on its first crewed test flight. NASA astronauts Barry “Butch” Wilmore and Sunita Williams were on board the capsule and strapped into their seats when the launch attempt was called off, roughly two hours ahead of the planned liftoff.

NASA announced early Tuesday that a second attempt would occur no earlier than Friday.

Mission controllers declared Monday’s launch “scrub” after an anomaly was detected on a valve on United Launch Alliance’s Atlas V rocket, which the Starliner capsule was to ride into orbit.

United Launch Alliance officials said in a post on X that the launch attempt was scrapped “out of an abundance of caution for the safety of the flight and pad crew,” adding that the team needs “additional time to complete a full assessment.”

The analysis will include whether the pressure regulation valve, located on the rocket’s upper stage, needs to be replaced, which may cause a longer delay.

The crewed Starliner flight, when it occurs, will be a crucial final test before NASA can authorize Boeing to conduct routine flights to and from the space station.

Officials at NASA and Boeing have said safety is paramount for the spacecraft’s first flight with humans onboard.

The scrubbed launch is yet another setback for Boeing, which has already dealt with years of delays and budget overruns with its Starliner program. It has fallen significantly behind SpaceX, which has been flying crewed missions to and from the space station for NASA since 2020.

Both SpaceX’s Crew Dragon capsule and Boeing’s Starliner craft were developed as part of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program. The initiative began more than a decade ago, following the retirement of the agency’s space shuttles, to support private companies in building new space vehicles to take astronauts to low-Earth orbit.

Starliner’s first uncrewed flight in 2019 was thwarted by software issues, forcing mission controllers to cut the test short before the vehicle could attempt to rendezvous and dock with the ISS. A second attempt was then delayed several times by fuel valve issues, and it wasn’t until 2022 that Boeing was able to carry out a successful uncrewed flight to and from the space station.

[lunarsilkscreen]

Valve Series Timeline

Somebody asked me why I don't do a post about all the connections between half-life and portal and all the back story there. The theory being that a lot of other theorists don't get it right.

And they weren't wrong. The problem with most theorists is that they stop at a surface level, where I go real deep into the lore and pick out all sorts of details and connections. Sometimes even to a degree that isn't fully supported by on game detail.

But here's the thing with the half-life series. And valve games in general;

The story and background lore is already plotted out to a near dizzying degree. There is rarely a loose end between games.

Me doing a segment on half-life and portal would just be connected end to end on a path already laid out by valve. It would be incredibly boring. I would have suspected that's why other theorists don't do it. But I'm beginning to think it's just that people don't think about things to the degree I do.

Note I said: "To the Degree I do" not better, not worse. Just not the same way. But probably because I'm more of a completionist.

Anyway to prove my point, I'll simply point out the first Half-Life multiplayer expansion (Developed by Gearbox Studios): Half-Life: Decay

The bonus mission follows a couple of vortigaunts: R-4913 and X-8973. In the game, both share the same character model. I heavily suspect that only R4 was actually modelled, it being a kind of throwaway bonus mission, and the fact that valve only has "R-4913" written in an air duct along with "Code Green". The game Half-Life: Uplink does the same, only referencing R-4913 and *not* X-8973

Now. Let's look at Portal 2's Multiplayer Heros: Atlas and Peabody. Compare ATLAS and R4913 visually. They have the same basic body type. You could boil this down to a simple throwback. But Valve doesn't do things half-baked. Except for a third game. This is intentional on the devs part. All the way down to how they're "just a couple of random a*, but vitally important grunts"

The vortigaunts are sent on a viral suicide mission by the Nihilanth. GlaDOS is a Nihilistic artificial intelligence who sends the same two on a suicide mission, which is vitally important for her plans.

These two are essentially Seal Team 6.

To take things a step further if your rearrange the letters in ATLAS, LAATS, matches up with a kind of l33t-speak interpretation, which was appropriate for the year that Half-Life came out. And Valve and Gearbox being full of a bunch of dumb Internet nerds, makes this incredibly far-fetched interpretation, not so far-fetched. (Considering Ls and Rs is still a thing we do to this day thanks to all the languages that roll them together.)

The same for PEA-BODY or X-8973. I don't know how X converts to P yet... But given enough time and effort I could learn..but it'll probably be easier to ask gearbox themselves.

The implications of this are important; it means that both Vortigaunts and Humans (specifically: dying people [or wounded warriors]) were placed into AI like Caroline into GlaDOS.

This is the exact reason why some test subjects didn't have to sign a waiver whenever you see those waivers lying around.

And, if I'm not mistaken: Why Chell was uploaded in the first place...

[ursae-minoris-world]

Roll for initiative!

Gen or  #sheith | rated G | Chapters 2/2 | 4.4k

The team is stuck on an empty asteroid while Atlas gets repaired, with not much to do. They decide it’s the perfect opportunity to introduce Keith to Monsters & Mana. ---- With an impressive display of teamwork, the paladins set the Monsters & Mana table, the holo-display map, and their minis. They arrange themselves around the table and bring up their character sheets and notes on their data-pads. Shiro contacts the repair station and lets the crew know they shouldn’t be interrupted before the valve is ready—unless there’s an emergency. Then he joins everyone at the table. Keith sits next to him, tense. “What’s this?” he asks quietly. “This is Monsters and Mana, man!” Lance exclaims, jumping from his seat in excitement. “Get ready for adventure!” Keith crosses his arms and gives Lance a sour look. “I don’t know how to play this.”

--

Read it here on AO3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/46495918/

Promote it here on twitter ; on pillowfort

--

(Shiro and Keith’s relationship is open to interpretation and can be read as romantic or platonic ; the story focuses on team bonding)

[projectorpheus]

SYCORAX ⋅𖥔⋅ UTP, UTP ⋅𖥔⋅ STEALTH

trigger warnings: car accident, depression, sibling death

Playing WarTag is like upgrading from four lines of movement on a D-pad to Fulldive VR: 360-degrees of laser guns and base captures in zero gravity, physics and odds calculated in less time than most would take to itch their nose. There's an optimal play for each scenario, and you're a logical player, striking at an opponent's mind; at their weak points, forcing rival teams into domino chains of losing choices. You innovate on Maneuver Warfare like picking a scab on the back of your hand. At the end of the day, you stick to this one basic principle: that it's not the degree of force but the application of it that keeps one a winner game after game. You and your sibling are a household name among WarTag fans. Your dads, flavor designers at S Corp's "Goop Lab" don't know where the two of you got your jock genes from, and sometimes, you wonder why your sibling couldn't have chosen anything else to do. They trail you like a wad of toilet paper stuck to your shoe: they copy your moves, your style, steal your friends, and worse — they become better at WarTag than you. Back-to-back, they ransack your place in the spotlight. All you can do is suck your teeth and wonder why.

You're driving the two of you back after a public shouting match at a gala when your nights of too-long workouts and endless game theory sessions fueled by shots of HyperEnergy catch up to you. It's just for a second, but you nod off at the wheel, and the next moment, you're on your back, your hovercar flipped over, a sheet of metal jammed through your sibling's throat. That's when the rumors spread: that you were drunk, that you did it on purpose — THAT YOU KILLED THEM. You're kicked from the team. You move back into your dads' house, reeling from PR damage, a pariah with zero prospects for the future. Time bends into itself; becomes circular. You lose months staring up at the ceiling. If only you could go back in time and undo that moment. If only you could close your eyes and this time, this time, wake up from this terrible world.

DYNAMICS

KEPLER  ⋅𖥔⋅ BOTH THE OCEAN AND THE ICEBERG ARE MADE OF THE SAME MATERIAL. THAT THE ICEBERG SEEMS SEPARATE IS ONLY BECAUSE IT IS IN A DIFFERENT FORM.

You stumbled upon their file at your therapist's office when your therapist stepped out for an emergency. A chaos addict, heartless, lacking in empathy. You read about they pulled the emergency release valve and left their father to die, how S Corp covered it up, how they don't seem to give a shit about it. They're worse than you in that they made a choice, but they got to hold onto a public-facing career. You hate them and everything they stand for. How if things had gone differently, you could be them and they could be you. 

NAIAD  ⋅𖥔⋅ FICTION, BECAUSE IT IS NOT ABOUT SOMEBODY WHO ACTUALLY LIVED IN THE REAL WORLD, ALWAYS HAS THE POSSIBILITY ABOUT BEING ABOUT ONESELF.

You were lost when you found them, accidentally intercepted one of their messages and found your first post-crash friend. Would you communicate with them if it weren't for your downfall? Probably not, but they sent you story after story, and eventually, you sent them stories back. And then, for a few months, you became so low you lost track of time. It was too late to write back when you came out if it. Still, you wonder about them, about what they look like, the texture of their voice, day after useless day.

ATLAS  ⋅𖥔⋅ WE ARE BUT FEVERED STARS: HERE A LITTLE WHILE, BRIGHT WITH PROMISE, BEFORE WE BURN AWAY.

Other than your parents, they were the person you hurt most. Your friend first and then your sibling's lover, drunk at your doorstep, asking over and over again, why, why, WHY? You never have answers. Not about the accident and not about the things they tell you — about their own guilt, all of the things they could've done better, when they're so fucked up they mistake you for the person they loved. You wish they'd stop coming. Still, you can't find it in your unending pit of loneliness to turn them away.

OPEN ⋅𖥔⋅MADELEINE MADDEN

[evergreencompressed-blog]

Air Compressor Parts and Accessories-Evergreen

Evergreen Compressed Air and Vacuum offers reliable and genuine OEM parts & accessories for all major brands of Air Compressors, Vacuum Pumps and Air Dryers at reasonable cost. We offer services in the state of Washington — Seattle, Tacoma, Everett, Kent, Mount Vernon, Olympia, Auburn. Our air compressor parts such as lubricants, valves, separators, belts, couplings, drains and filters are designed to keep your compressor and vacuum systems running at peak performance and reduce the cost of ownership of your compressed air system. Getting air compressor parts you need is as easy as contacting our team of dedicated service engineers. They are trained to solve problems quickly and efficiently.

Brands we offer

ELGi

Sullivan-Palatek

Sullair

Gardner Denver

Quincy

CP

Rogers

FS-Curtis

Ingersoll Rand

Atlas Copco

Vac-u-lok

DV

Saylor-Beall

Champion

Airtech

Beacon Medaes

Busch

Why do you need to buy air compressor spare parts from OEMs?

Every component within an air compressor has a designated service life and undergoes wear and tear over time, necessitating regular maintenance to ensure optimal performance and longevity. While aftermarket replacement parts may be enticing due to lower costs, it’s essential to prioritize sourcing from Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs). OEM air compressor parts ensure proper performance levels and minimize equipment failure risk .

OEM air compressor spare parts offer the following benefits

Durability OEM replacement components offer premium quality assurance and guarantee longevity. Using OEM parts minimises the risk of equipment failure and production performance decline, ensuring consistent performance.

Improved Safety OEMs adhere to industry safety standards, providing enhanced protection for users and minimizing occupational hazards. Third party air compressor spare parts may compromise safety and pose risks to health and the environment.

Efficiency OEM air compressor parts deliver optimal performance over a longer period, reducing downtime and the need for frequent repairs. Investing in OEM parts ensures uninterrupted operation and reduces maintenance demands.

Stringent Quality Standards OEM parts undergo rigorous endurance tests and quality inspections to ensure consistent performance and reliability. Choosing OEM air compressor parts guarantees adherence to quality standards and reliable operation.

Warranty Protection OEM parts ensure warranty coverage and protect your investment. Other parts may void warranties and leave you vulnerable to costly repairs and downtime.

Air compressor parts that need replacement include

Dust filters and oil separators These components are crucial in safeguarding the compressor against damage and performance degradation caused by internal contaminants. Dust particles from inlet pose a significant threat to compressor rotors, leading to reduced efficiency and premature wear.

Air filter Swapping your air compressor’s line filter cartridge with counterfeit alternatives compromises filtration efficiency, resulting in pressure drops and compromised air quality. Genuine airline filters ensure optimal filtration, reducing the need for frequent replacements and minimizing lifecycle costs.

Lubricating oil Lubricating oil is essential for maintaining system efficiency and preventing equipment breakdowns. Poor-quality oil can lead to sediment buildup and corrosion risks, undermining compressor performance. Using genuine oil supplied by the manufacturer ensures effective lubrication and maximises equipment longevity.

It’s essential to procure spare parts and air compressor accessories exclusively from OEMs and reputable suppliers and maintain a service kit containing essential tools for safe part replacement. Talk to our parts specialist today.

Other products

Air Compressors

 Vacuum Pumps 

Air Dryers

[spacenutspod]

The United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket that will carry Starliner, pictured on pad 40 at Cape Canaveral prior to its first launch attempt in early May 2024. Image: Michael Cain/Spaceflight Now. Plans to launch Boeing’s oft-delayed Starliner spacecraft on its first crewed test flight Saturday were put on hold Tuesday night to give managers more time to evaluate a small helium leak in the ship’s propulsion system. A new launch target was not announced. The Starliner’s crew — commander Barry “Butch” Wilmore and co-pilot Sunita Williams — remained at the Johnson Space Center in Houston awaiting word on when to head for the Kennedy Space Center to make final preparations for launch to the International Space Station. They had hoped to blast off at 3:09 p.m. EDT Saturday, assuming NASA and Boeing managers agreed it would be safe to launch the spacecraft “as is,” with a small-but-persistent leak in the ship’s propulsion pressurization system. But multiple sources said earlier Tuesday that option was no longer on the table as additional meetings were planned to discuss the rationale for launching the spacecraft assuming the leak would not worsen in flight. In a short statement late Tuesday, NASA said “the team has been in meetings for two consecutive days, assessing flight rationale, system performance and redundancy. There is still forward work in these areas, and the next possible launch opportunity is still being discussed.” NASA did not announce when the analysis might be complete or when another launch attempt might be made. Near-term launch opportunities beyond Saturday and Sunday, based on the Starliner’s ability to match the station’s orbit, are May 28, June 1 and 2 and June 5 and 6. The latest delay was a familiar setback for the hard-luck Starliner, which has suffered a steady stream of frustrating setbacks since an initial unpiloted test flight in 2019 was derailed by software problems and communications glitches. A second uncrewed test flight was launched and while it was generally successful, more problems were discovered after its return to Earth. The helium leak was first detected during a launch attempt on May 6. At the time, engineers concluded the leak rate was small enough to permit launch, but the countdown was called off after engineers with Atlas-builder United Launch Alliance noted unusual behavior in an oxygen pressure relief valve in the rocket’s Centaur upper stage. Managers eventually decided to haul the rocket back to the company’s Vertical Integration Facility to replace the valve. That work was completed without incident and the new valve was cleared for flight. Boeing engineers took advantage of delay to carry out a more thorough assessment of the helium leak, which was traced to a specific reaction control system thruster in one of four “doghouse” assemblies mounted around the exterior of the Starliner’s drum-shaped service module. Each doghouse features four orbital maneuvering and attitude control — OMAC — thrusters and four smaller reaction control system maneuvering jets. Pressurized helium gas is used to push propellants to the rocket motors in each doghouse as well as to four powerful launch abort engines that would only be fired in the event of a catastrophic booster failure. Engineers tightened bolts around the flange where the leak was detected, pressurized the lines and then ran tests to determine if the leak was still present. In the meantime, launch was re-targeted for May 21 and then, when tests revealed the leak was still present, to Saturday to give engineers more time to assess the data. The flight is now on hold indefinitely, pending results of the ongoing analysis.

[gqresearch24]

‘Buzzing’ Rocket Valve Pushes 1st Astronaut Launch Of Boeing’s Starliner Capsule To May 10

( Source – Business Today)

Boeing’s highly anticipated inaugural crewed flight of the Starliner capsule faces a delay until the latter part of the week due to a technical setback, marking a temporary setback in the aerospace company’s ambitious mission.

Originally slated for a late Monday night launch, the Crew Flight Test (CFT) was intended to embark on a roughly 10-day journey to transport two NASA astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS) and return them safely to Earth. However, mission controllers opted to postpone the launch approximately two hours before the scheduled liftoff upon detecting an anomaly with the “oxygen relief valve” situated on the upper stage of Starliner’s rocket, an Atlas V from United Launch Alliance (ULA). The valve exhibited irregular behavior, characterized by rapid opening and closing during the countdown sequence, prompting the delay, according to ULA officials.

delay would facilitate comprehensive data analysisInitial hopes for a swift resolution were voiced by NASA, ULA, and Boeing, with speculation of a potential launch attempt as early as Tuesday night. Yet, these aspirations were dashed as the teams announced early Tuesday morning that the CFT mission would be postponed until at least Friday night. NASA officials explained in a Tuesday update that the delay would facilitate comprehensive data analysis on the pressure regulation valve located on the liquid oxygen tank of the Atlas V rocket’s Centaur upper stage, assessing the necessity of valve replacement.

The rescheduled launch window for CFT is set for Friday at 9 p.m. EDT, with an additional backup opportunity available on Saturday, according to NASA officials. However, the intricate process of valve replacement, as outlined by ULA CEO Tory Bruno during a post-scrub press briefing on Monday night, entails several days of meticulous preparation. Consequently, if valve replacement becomes imperative, the likelihood of another launch attempt before Sunday appears remote.

The anticipation is heightened

NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, designated as the crewmembers for CFT, returned to the crew quarters at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center following the announcement of the launch delay. The anticipation surrounding this mission is heightened given Boeing’s historical delays in Starliner’s development, in stark contrast to SpaceX’s successful operational flights using the Dragon capsule and Falcon 9 rocket since 2020.

In 2014, NASA awarded Boeing and SpaceX lucrative contracts to facilitate crewed transportation to and from the ISS. While SpaceX has accomplished seven operational crewed flights for NASA and is currently engaged in its eighth mission, Boeing continues to grapple with technical hurdles, yet to realize its goal of launching a crewed mission with the Starliner capsule.

[mrm101]

Update (augmented NASA blog release) It was later decided to replace the regulator relief valve on the Centaur stage and to allow time to do that the launch has been postponed a week to Friday 17 May at 21:16UT (06:18EDT). The oscillating behaviour of the valve during LOX tank ‘topping up’ replenishment operations, ultimately resulted in the launch team calling a launch scrub on Monday (Tuesday morning UK). After the crew had climbed out of the spacecraft and left the launch complex the valve was commanded shut and the oscillations stopped, however the oscillations then reoccurred twice during de-tanking (fuel draining) operations. After reviewing the valve’s history and examining data signatures form the launch attempt it was decided that the valve had, or would, exceed it’s certified design life of 200,000 individual operations (and also the fact the problem had reoccured in a short period of time). The Atlas V will be rolled back to the VIF tomorrow (8 May). The crew, Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams will remain at the Kennedy Space Centre crew quarters in quarantine until the next launch attempt.

It was announced, early on Monday morning (7 May) at around L-2 hours that the vehicle was not in a launch configuration and the launch attempt would be aborted and the count would enter a 65 minute hold to allow the crew to egress, assisted by the 'blue team' or the close out team in the white room at the end of the Crew Access Arm, the hatch at that point was still open.

As explained at a later briefing Tony Bruno, the ULA boss, the problem was with a spring loaded pressure relief regulator valve on the liquid oxygen(LOX) tank of the Centaur upper or second stage. This is designed to pop open if the ullage pressure got to great (the space above the LOX in the tank which is filled with helium to keep the tank pressurised and ultimately later push the propellent into the engines). On rare occasions such a valve does not seat properly and starts to oscillate or 'buzz' open and closed very rapidly, about 40htz in this case. It could be heard by the blue team and sounds like a loud buzzing.

Normally to correct this a solenoid would be operated (a electro-magnetically operated switch or lever) to force the valve closed (as is done just before launch), once released this usually stops the valve 'buzzing'. However because a crew was onboard the launch rules of ULA dictate that nothing should be done to alter the fuel state of the vehicle (outside of the launch procedure that is) and shutting this valve with the solenoid would have caused the tank pressure to increase, changing the fuel state. So they had to abort the launch attempt and get the crew off. Once the crew had got out they operated the switch and the valve stopped buzzing.

However the next worry is how much stress that valve has suffered whilst it was rapidly opening and closing and if it was slamming all the way open and closed or just partially. These valves are certified, tested for 200,000 opening and closings (they can probably last longer than that but that has not been tested) and unfortunately it is estimated that it may have been approaching that limit. There aren't any sensors attached to the valve but the launch crew can use accelerometers on the nearly engines to measure and count the vibrations caused by the buzzing valve. Then they can estimate how many times the valve opened and closed and then calculate how much structural design life it has late remaining. which is what they have been doing today (Tuesday). If the valve does not have enough life left in it to cover another launch attempt it will have to be replaced. That can be done but the rocket would have to be rolled back into the Vehicle Integration Facility (VIF), a nearby high bay. There the Centaur LOX tank would have to be supported, put under tension, and completely depressurised (it need to be pressurised, or put under tension, at all times or it would crumple) so the valve can be changed, however the Starliner spacecraft would not have to be taken off the top of Centaur during the process. This would tale several days. Currently the valve condition it is still being assessed and if it is OK, if it does not need to be changed, then another launch attempt can be made on Saturday, UK time. Pic: NASA

[teamlarl]

The Best of Wives, the Best of Women (2/2)

@atlas-team-valv

[ao3feedsheith]

Roll for initiative!

Roll for initiative! https://archiveofourown.org/works/46495918 by UrsaeMinoris The team is stuck on an empty asteroïd while Atlas gets repaired, with not much to do. They decide it’s the perfect opportunity to introduce Keith to Monsters & Mana. ---- With an impressive display of teamwork, the paladins set the Monsters & Mana table, the holo-display map, and their minis. They arrange themselves around the table and bring up their character sheets and notes on their data-pads. Shiro contacts the repair station and lets the crew know they shouldn’t be interrupted before the valve is ready—unless there’s an emergency. Then he joins everyone at the table. Keith sits next to him, tense. “What’s this?” he asks quietly. “This is Monsters and Mana, man!” Lance exclaims, jumping from his seat in excitement. “Get ready for adventure!” Keith crosses his arms and gives Lance a sour look. “I don’t know how to play this.” Words: 4392, Chapters: 2/2, Language: English Fandoms: Voltron: Legendary Defender Rating: General Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Categories: Gen Characters: Keith (Voltron), Shiro (Voltron), Lance (Voltron), Hunk (Voltron), Pidge | Katie Holt, Allura (Voltron), Coran (Voltron) Relationships: Keith/Shiro (Voltron), Keith & Shiro (Voltron), Keith & Lance (Voltron), Keith & Voltron Paladins, Allura & Coran & Hunk & Keith & Lance & Pidge | Katie Holt & Shiro Additional Tags: Team Bonding, Team as Family, shiro and keith's relationship can be read romantic or platonic, focus is more on the team having fun, Fluff, Banter, Humor, Monsters & Mana (Voltron), Tabletop Gaming, Dungeons & Dragons References, Gender-Neutral Pronouns for Pidge | Katie Holt, Post-Canon, Post-War, Not Voltron: Legendary Defender Season/Series 08 Compliant, no snazzlepofs were harmed in the making of this fic via AO3 works tagged 'Keith/Shiro (Voltron)' https://archiveofourown.org April 14, 2023 at 07:20PM

[apricusdays]

@atlas-team-valv​ from Starter Call

“Hey! There’s a face I haven’t seen in a little while. Your family keeping you busy, Aggy?” Ivory hoisted a large bag over her shoulder. As usual the tall girl kept her folded up ax at her side. Ever since the incident last year the amount of times she let herself go without it was decreasing. Now it was practically a mandatory accessory. “What have you been up to?”

[beardedmrbean]

The Atlas V topped by Boeing's Starliner waits ready on the launch pad.

After lengthy delays that saw Starliner lapped repeatedly by NASA's other private crewed transport, SpaceX's Dragon, the spacecraft is slated to make its inaugural crewed flight at 12:25 p.m. Saturday from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station's Launch Complex 41.

Onboard: two astronauts with test pilot backgrounds, Butch Wilmore and Florida Tech graduate, Suni Williams. If all goes well, Starliner will race to catch up with the International Space Station and dock to the station's Harmony module at approximately 1:50 p.m. Sunday.

What's the weather forecast for Starliner launch

As the Atlas V rocket left its Vertical Integration Facility on Thursday, it was illuminated by the bright Florida sun. That same good weather is forecast to continue for the launch.

There's a 90 percent chance of conditions favorable to launch. The only concerns being ground winds and cumulus clouds.

Why the delay from Starliner's initial May 6 launch attempt

The mission has been delayed nearly a month due first to an oxygen leak on the rocket and then a helium leak on part of the spacecraft.

NASA, Boeing, and United Launch Alliance scrubbed on May 6 due to a suspect oxygen relief valve on the Atlas V rocket’s Centaur second stage. To deal with that leak, teams had to roll the rocket back into its facility. Once there, teams removed and replaced the valve.

Then while assessing Starliner, the teams discovered a small helium leak in the spacecraft's service module — the disposable lower part of the spacecraft that contains thrusters.

As part of the helium leak investigation, NASA and Boeing studied what impact that leak would have on the ability to safely return Starliner and its crew to Earth in the worst-case scenario of some extreme failures.

"We have now a solution," Boeing's Mark Nappi, vice president and program manager of the company's commercial crew program, said last week. "It's backed by test data. It's backed by flight data, and the guidance and navigation modeling have reinforced that this technique will work. Of course we've had independent verification on it. The crew has tested it, and we feel very comfortable with the situation that we have."

NASA also completed a Delta-Agency Flight Test Readiness Review on Wednesday to evaluate all work performed before giving the "go" to proceed toward launch.

What will the Starliner crew do in space?

Wilmore and Williams will remain at the space station for about a week to test the Starliner spacecraft. That work is necessary for NASA to complete its final certification of the spacecraft, which will allow it to join SpaceX's Dragon in rotating missions to ferry crews to the station.

When is the next Florida rocket launch? Is there a launch today? Upcoming SpaceX, NASA, ULA rocket launch schedule in Florida

How much has NASA paid Boeing to develop Starliner?

NASA originally awarded Boeing the contract to fly astronauts in 2014, alongside SpaceX. Boeing received $4.8 billion for Starliner while SpaceX received $3.1 billion for Dragon. Both companies were part of NASA's Commercial Crew Program, which replaced the space shuttle after its retirement in 2011.

Both were late to deliver, hoping to launch as soon as 2017 and restore NASA astronauts access to space from American soil (NASA astronauts were hitching rides aboard the Russian Soyuz).

Following a successful crewed demo flight in 2020, SpaceX has since flown eight NASA crews and multiple private crews to the ISS.

Going beyond this test flight, according to Boeing, NASA has already contracted for six crewed missions on Starliner.

NASA astronaut and former NASA Associate Administrator and former KSC Director Bob Cabana told FLORIDA TODAY that the success of Boeing Starliner is essential to ensure NASA always has a way to access the station.

“We want that dissimilar redundancy,” said Cabana, adding that NASA cannot rely on solely one company.

What is the Starliner spacecraft?

Boeing calls it the Crew Space Transportation (CST)-100 Starliner, or simply “Starliner”. Like SpaceX's Crew Dragon, it can carry a mix of crew and cargo or up to seven crew memebers.

With a total height of 16.5 ft (capsule + service module combined) and a diameter of 15 ft, it is a what Boeing refers to as "a next-generation space capsule."

This capsule is named Calypso.

Williams, a lover of the ocean, has stated in the past that she named the spacecraft Calypso after the ship of Jacque Cousteau, which was an ocean explorer in the mid-20th century.

That ship was remembered for its underwater observation chamber and being equipped with a helicopter and submersibles, assisting in scientific expeditions. Williams mentioned being excited by Cousteau's television show as a young girl and looked forward to watching his expeditions.

How to watch Boeing Starliner launch

FLORIDA TODAY's Space Team will continue to bring you the latest information on the mission.

Follow the FLORIDA TODAY Live Blog. To received launch alerts and updates, download the free FLORIDA TODAY app and enable push alerts from the app settings.

What if there is a delay?

If Saturday's launch attempt scrubs, there are backup opportunities on Sunday, June 2. Should Starliner not be able to launch this weekend, additional opportunities exist on Wednesday, June 5 and Thursday, June 6.

[apricusnights]

@atlas-team-valv​ liked for a starter.

“Hello and welcome to the Temple of Merek, my name is Layla and I’m here to assist you with whatever you may need. The temple welcomes everyone even if you do not have the intention of joining us in our beliefs. If you require any sort of aid please make your way to the Eastern portion of the temple where food, water, and any basic necessities will be available to you.”

“If you’re here to browse the library or records room please proceeds down the hallway to your left. If you’d like to spend time in the meditation clearing continue down that same hallway and enter the last door on the left.”

“If you’d like an appointment to speak with Lord Merek you may schedule one at the front desk right over there.”

“If you need anything else feel free to ask me or any of the temple personnel you see. Now then, how may I be of service?”