I’m getting SO MANY questions on whether we will see the aurora tonight. The honest answer: I don’t know!! Last night’s activity was really low, but there are several CMEs that will likely hit Earth tonight, so there’s a better chance.
That being said, the level of activity that brought about the aurora as far south as FL/TX/Mexico is higher (G5) than what’s predicted (G4). (1/2)
If you’re north of about Washington DC on the east coast, I would say you have a good chance of seeing them tonight away from light pollution. This is the current forecast, which is more conservative than my prediction.
Boeing Starliner will not launch before Friday, May 10, and it may push into next week. The issue is a valve that controls liquid oxygen pressure on the upper stage of the rocket. It was humming/oscillating, and they need to examine it to see if it needs to be replaced.
If it doesn't, launch will be no earlier than Friday. If it does need to be replaced (which means the rocket needs to be rolled back), we're likely looking at launch dates into next week.
@laimis Yes, but for a launch like this it's really important that the crew train on the vehicle and know it inside and out, so it's not so much about getting to switch to fly sooner. That being said, Jeanette Epps was briefly assigned to this flight and is currently on the ISS as part of SpaceX's Crew-8.
Next launch window is tomorrow at 10:11 pm ET, but again it's not clear whether we'll be able to recycle and try again that soon. We'll see if I'm back here tomorrow night live posting!!
Okay, the issue IS apparently related to the noises I mentioned earlier on: a noise described as "chattering" on the Atlas V's upper stage coming from an oxygen relief valve.
@pewnack It's very easy to take a screenshot and say someone looks stressed out. I've watched them at press conferences and events all week. I believe they are comfortable with the spacecraft.
Boeing Starliner is scheduled to launch its first crewed test today, May 6, at 10:34 PM ET. I'll be live posting over here about it throughout the day and up to launch!