Photo: Boeing via Space.com
Her name is Rosie, and she is a test dummy. On December 20, Rosie will join a select group of humanoid, inanimate object to have flown to space on various rockets. Some of them even made it back, and Boeing hopes Rosie will do too.
Officially, Rosie is called Anthropomorphic Test Device (ATD). She’s brand new and has been fitted with a great number of sensors that will be used to relay information about a variety of factors, including the G forces she will have to endure.
The dummy will be seated where in the future the human commander of the Starliner will be seated.
The choice of name is explained by Boeing through the need to honor Rosie the Riveter, a collective moniker adopted by the women who worked in the shipyards, armament factories and aircraft companies during the second world war. Coincidently, the name of Boeing first female employee was also Rosie (Rosie Farrar).
"Rosie is a symbol of not only the women who are blazing a trail in human spaceflight history, but also of everyone who has shown grit and determination while working tirelessly to ensure the Starliner can transport astronauts safely to and from the International Space Station," said in a statement cited by Space.com Leanne Caret, president of Boeing's Defense, Space & Security division.
"She's flying for everyone on our team who took on the challenge of human spaceflight and said, 'We can do it.'"
This Friday, the Starliner launches in a bid to reach the International Space Station (ISS) and safely come back. This first flight will be uncrewed, aside for Rosie, of course.
The Starliner has a a diameter of 4.56 meters (15.0 ft) and will be able to carry up to seven astronauts. It has been designed to accept mating with a variety of rockets, including SpaceX’s Falcon, the Atlas V, Delta IV and the Vulcan.
The dummy will be seated where in the future the human commander of the Starliner will be seated.
The choice of name is explained by Boeing through the need to honor Rosie the Riveter, a collective moniker adopted by the women who worked in the shipyards, armament factories and aircraft companies during the second world war. Coincidently, the name of Boeing first female employee was also Rosie (Rosie Farrar).
"Rosie is a symbol of not only the women who are blazing a trail in human spaceflight history, but also of everyone who has shown grit and determination while working tirelessly to ensure the Starliner can transport astronauts safely to and from the International Space Station," said in a statement cited by Space.com Leanne Caret, president of Boeing's Defense, Space & Security division.
"She's flying for everyone on our team who took on the challenge of human spaceflight and said, 'We can do it.'"
This Friday, the Starliner launches in a bid to reach the International Space Station (ISS) and safely come back. This first flight will be uncrewed, aside for Rosie, of course.
The Starliner has a a diameter of 4.56 meters (15.0 ft) and will be able to carry up to seven astronauts. It has been designed to accept mating with a variety of rockets, including SpaceX’s Falcon, the Atlas V, Delta IV and the Vulcan.
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