Mass. native to pilot 1st crewed mission of Boeing’s Starliner [Video]

After years of delays and stumbles, Boeing is finally poised to launch astronauts to the International Space Station for NASA and a Massachusetts native will be aboard as pilot. Veteran NASA astronaut Suni Williams, a native of Needham and namesake of an elementary school, and her crewmate will take Boeing’s Starliner capsule for a test flight and a weeklong stay at the ISS. Liftoff is slated for Monday night. White with black and blue trim, Boeing’s Starliner capsule is about 10 feet (3 meters) tall and 15 feet (4.5 meters) in diameter. It can fit up to seven people, though NASA crews typically will number four. The company settled on the name Starliner nearly a decade ago, a twist on the name of Boeing’s early Stratoliner and the current Dreamliner.NASA turned to U.S. companies for astronaut rides after the space shuttles were retired. Elon Musk’s SpaceX has made nine taxi …