after he emerged from the CST-100. “But we are changing that paradigm a little bit,” he added, “to make it an inviting and a comfortable environment for that commercial customer, so they can look back and say that it was a wonderful experience … so they can say, ‘I had the ride of my life.’ ” Ferguson, a veteran of three space shuttle missions and commander of the final shuttle flight, by Atlantis, in July 2011, has logged more than 40 days in space. Now with Boeing, he oversees the crew interface of the CST-100 and has a key role in development and testing of system concepts and technologies for the spacecraft. The CST-100 program is a model for the “One Boeing” approach to doing business, of collaboration across the company. “Partnering with Commercial Airplanes has provided insights and innovation that is going to take the Boeing Sky Interior beyond just 30,000 feet (9,100 meters), and now to low Earth orbit,” said Castilleja, a Systems engineer with Business Development, Boeing Space Exploration, who is helping define the future of human space travel for Boeing. When it comes to spaceflight, Ferguson and Castilleja share a passion. At age 16, Castilleja worked for NASA at the Johnson Space Center in Houston under the Summer High School Apprenticeship Research Program in 2004. He later joined Boeing. On the CST-100 program, he has provided technical design and program integration, and led upgrades for the full-scale mock-up. “When I call Commercial Airplanes and others for some help on building our spacecraft,” he said, “it usually results in much excitement, and it shows in the innovation we’ve achieved together. I have learned so much about our Commercial Airplanes team. Working together, there is truly no challenge we can’t resolve.” The CST-100, short for Crew Space Transportation, is being developed in collaboration with NASA’s Commercial Crew Program. The space agency wants private industry, not the government, to provide crew transportation, from U.S. soil, to the International Space Station and possibly other future low-orbit destinations. Since the retirement of the space shuttles, the U.S. has relied on the Russian Soyuz for crew transportation to the space station. In April 2013, NASA signed its latest contract extension with the Russian Space Agency for $424 million for services, including six seats to and from the station. That’s $70.7 million per seat. A U.S.-based transportation system could provide a reduced price per seat, according to NASA. Unlike the shuttle program, where NASA purchased the vehicle, the space agency plans to purchase transportation services on commercial crew vehicles for its astronauts. In the case of the CST-100, for example, Boeing would own and operate the spacecraft. Featuring an innovative, weld-less design that can be reused up to 10 times, Boeing’s CST-100 capsule will transport up to seven passengers or a mix of crew and cargo to low Earth orbit destinations. The first test flight is scheduled for late 2016, with the first manned mission planned for early 2017. Boeing is not alone, however, in developing a spacecraft in partnership with NASA’s Commercial Crew Program. Other industry competitors are in the race: Sierra Nevada Corp. and Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX). All must meet stringent milestones and testing requirements of their respective spacecraft. NASA’s next phase is to award the Commercial Crew Transportation Capability contract in the fall of this year, with the space agency expected to select one or more commercial providers. Boeing has a long and storied history in space exploration. Its heritage companies built the space PHOTO: Andy Gilkey, left, human factors engineer, and Brandon Setayesh, mechanical and structural engineer, evaluate the tablet-based flight manuals that crews on the CST-100 will take into space. The spacecraft will feature wireless Internet and tablet technology for crew interfaces, docking assistance and communications. BOB FERGUSON/BOEING 22 Frontiers April 2014
Frontiers April 2014 Issue
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