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| Space Station Circuit Breaker Again Fails |
| 2005-03-16 |
| For the second time in just under a year, a circuit breaker failed on the international space station Wednesday, shutting down one of the gyroscopes needed to keep the orbiting outpost steady and pointed in the right position. The circuit breaker was a new one put in by spacewalking astronauts last summer. In a repeat from one year ago, the latest failure left the space station with only two functioning gyroscopes, the bare minimum needed for control, NASA said. This time, though, the problem could affect NASA's plans to launch Discovery to the station in mid-May after a two-year grounding of the shuttle fleet. The space station must be steady for a shuttle to dock. There is at least one spare circuit breaker on board. But there was no immediate discussion of whether the two crewmen would conduct a spacewalk to install it. They are already scheduled to go out on a spacewalk March 28 to perform routine maintenance work. The station is equipped with four American-made gyroscopes, essentially 4-foot spinning wheels. But one of those gyroscopes broke three years ago; it will be replaced by Discovery's astronauts, who will be making NASA's first post-Columbia shuttle flight. Russian thrusters could also be used to steer the station, but they use precious fuel. |
| Posted by:seafarious |
| #2 Awww PC4927... You haven't said what you really want to do to the bureaucratic buffoons of NASA. But you know that putting them in an Iraqi prison cell with women's underwear on thier heads won't work. Some of them might actually like that! In all seriousness, the "international Space Station" is a white elephant. Evacuate, and launch it towards the Sun. PC4927 is correct. Then do shuttle missions to do the Hubble repairs, etc. And MAYBE I SAY MAYBE set up missions for Prez's Moon-Mars projects... |
| Posted by: BigEd 2005-03-16 7:03:03 PM |
| #1 This is one black hole of a government program. They still use the same lame "to study man in a weightless environment" justification. They've been using that excuse since the Mercury Program. If they haven't figured it out yet, hordes of over educated government funded medical people should be fired or blacklisted from any further government research monies. Just what does the station really deliver? Nothing I can tell. On the other hand Hubble has actually delivered knowledge to the science community. Last week NASA said all further maintenance missions to Hubble would end and the Shuttle would focus on maintaining the station. What a piece of bureaucratic self justification. |
| Posted by: Phitle Criter4927 2005-03-16 6:24:29 PM |