NASA Orders Urgent Spacewalks To Fix The International Space Station

[Purveyor]

Source: NEWS.com.au

Station managers decided Tuesday to send two American astronauts out as soon as possible to replace a pump that contains a bad valve. It's a big job that will require at least two or three spacewalks. The first is scheduled for Saturday.

The spacewalks are taking priority over the launch of a supply ship from Virginia. The delivery had been scheduled for this week, but is now delayed until January.

Half of the station's cooling system shut down last week. The six-man crew had to turn off non-essential equipment, including science experiments.

While the astronauts are safe, NASA wants the system back up to full strength, in case of another failure.


Read more: http://www.news.com.au/technology/science/nasa-orders-urgent-spacewalks-to-fix-the-international-space-station/story-fnjwlcze-1226785604730

[FarPoint]

1. This feels like another Apollo 13 moment.

I fear for these astronauts....

I sense we are getting the Pollyanna version of the facts.

[backscatter712]

2. I don't think it's that dire.

There's two redundant cooling loops on the station.

A valve in the pump module for one of them is busted. The other one is working just fine.

And they've got three spare pump modules in a cargo pallet on the ISS truss.

The one big risk they've got is that they're using the same model spacesuit that Luca Parmitano was using when his sprung a water leak and started filling the helmet with water. They're going to have to quadruple-check the suits to make sure there are no leaks so they don't have a repeat of that incident.

Assuming that they can stay on top of spacesuit issues, swapping the pump module is something they've done before. It'll take two or three spacewalks, but it's pretty straightforward.

[FarPoint]

3. The sounds of the space suit leaking....

To drown is space....

[backscatter712]

4. That's the biggest risk...

Luca said he felt like a goldfish when his suit started leaking water into the helmet.

Hopefully, that won't happen a second time. I'd like to think that NASA and the astronauts have a good idea how to check out their spacesuits so that doesn't happen again.

[Delphinus]

5. May they be safe.

I hope all goes well.

[ProudProgressiveNow]

6. Prayers..... nt