Starliner, Dream Chaser, and Beyond: The Sky is Not the Limit

When I was young, the future was exciting: cities on the Moon, computers that can fly spaceships, and more.

Then we tried making those dreams a reality; which we've been doing. In part.

One goal of this week's Starliner test flight was having a human pilot handle part of the spacecraft's approach and docking at the International Space Station. It was a methodical process, pretty much the opposite of dramatic. Starliner handled the actual docking; which, again, was a methodical process. And successful.

If you read nothing else in today's post, by the way, read Butch Wilmore's "Just a Thought", a Few Minutes Before Liftoff. Or check out whatever looks interesting:

• Boeing Starliner Crew Flight Test
  • Saturday's Attempt, a Ground Launch Sequencer, and Paying Attention
  • Another Glimpse Inside Starliner's Crew Capsule
  • Launch Complex 41, Crew Access Arm, and — Starliner: Lucky 13??
  • Butch Wilmore's "Just a Thought", a Few Minutes Before Liftoff
• Commercial Spaceflight
  • We Can't Go On Flying Like This
  • Dream Chaser Tenacity: Another Step in the Right Direction
  • Spacecraft: One Step at a Time

More at A Catholic Citizen in America.

(Flight testing the 13th type of crewed spacecraft. What mission commander Butch Wilmore said. Looking ahead: a spaceplane and commercial spaceflight.)