Category Archives: Space Station

NASA Astronauts Start ISS Repair Spacewalk
Nasa astronauts Rick Mastracchio and Mike Hopkins have begun the first of three spacewalks to replace a broken cooling pump at the International Space Statio...

By: Jay Report

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NASA Astronauts Start ISS Repair Spacewalk - Video

Spacewalk to repair International Space Station underway
Astronauts have begun the first of three planned spacewalks to repair a vital cooling system that failed on the International Space Station. Bill Harwood rep...

By: CBS This Morning

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Spacewalk to repair International Space Station underway - Video

The spacewalk, which was broadcast live on NASA Television, was the first for NASA since July when the spacesuit helmet worn by Italian astronaut Luca Parmitano began filling with water, a situation that could have caused him to drown.

The operation was prompted by the December 11 shutdown of one of the station's two U.S. ammonia cooling systems, which forced the crew to turn off non-essential equipment and shut down dozens of science experiments.

While the six-member crew is not in danger, the remaining cooling system cannot support the three laboratories and other modules on the U.S. side of the $100 billion station, a project of 15 nations. The Russian side of the station has a separate cooling system.

Engineers at the Johnson Space Center in Houston tried devising ways to bypass a suspected faulty pump valve, but with time running short, managers decided to have astronauts replace the pump, located outside the station, with a spare.

The work, which began shortly after 7 a.m. EST, went smoothly, with station flight engineers Rick Mastracchio and Mike Hopkins finishing up an hour earlier than expected.

They were able to not only disconnect the old pump, but also remove it from its pallet on the station's exterior truss, a task slated for a second spacewalk originally planned for Monday and later delayed until Tuesday, NASA said late on Saturday.

A third spacewalk, if needed, presumably also would slip one day, from Wednesday to Thursday.

NASA said an extra day was needed to prepare a backup spacesuit for Mastracchio to use.

"During repressurization of the station's airlock following the spacewalk, a spacesuit configuration issue put the suit Mastracchio was wearing in question for the next excursion," NASA said in a statement.

The issue is not related to the water leak that was seen during the July spacewalk, NASA said.

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Snorkel-clad astronauts exit space station to begin crucial fix

BBC News Nasa astronauts carry out spacewalk to repair pump
BBC News Nasa astronauts carry out spacewalk to repair pump Astronauts at the International Space Station have completed the first of a series of spacewalks ...

By: cihan ylmaz

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BBC News Nasa astronauts carry out spacewalk to repair pump - Video

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. Astronauts removed an old space station pump Saturday, sailing through the first of a series of urgent repair spacewalks to revive a crippled cooling line.

The two Americans on the crew, Rick Mastracchio and Michael Hopkins, successfully pulled out the ammonia pump with a bad valve ---- well ahead of schedule. That task had been planned for the next spacewalk, originally scheduled for Monday but now delayed until Tuesday, Christmas Eve, because of the need for a suit swap.

"An early Christmas," observed Mission Control as Mastracchio tugged the refrigerator-size pump away from its nesting spot.

If Mastracchio and Hopkins keep up the quick work, two spacewalks may be enough to complete the installation of a spare pump and a third spacewalk will not be needed as originally anticipated.

Several hours after Saturday's spacewalk ended, Mission Control bumped spacewalk 2 to Tuesday to give Mastracchio enough time to prepare a spare suit. His original suit was compromised when he inadvertently turned on a water switch in the air lock at the end of Saturday's excursion. NASA officials said Saturday night that it's unclear whether a third spacewalk will be needed and when it might occur, if required. A third spacewalk had been slated for Christmas Day before the latest turn of events. NASA requires a day off between spacewalks for astronaut rest.

The space station breakdown 10 days earlier left one of two identical cooling loops too cold and forced the astronauts to turn off all nonessential equipment inside the orbiting lab, bringing scientific research to a near-halt and leaving the station in a vulnerable state.

Mission Control wanted to keep the spacewalkers out even longer Saturday to get even further ahead, but a cold and uncomfortable Mastracchio requested to go back. The spacewalk ended after 5 1/2 hours, an hour short on time but satisfyingly long on content.

Earlier, Mastracchio managed to unhook all the ammonia fluid and electrical lines on the pump with relative ease, occasionally releasing a flurry of frozen ammonia flakes that brushed against his suit. A small O-ring floated away, but he managed to retrieve it.

"I got it, I got it, I got it. Barely," Mastracchio said as he stretched out his hand.

"Don't let that go, that's a stocking stuffer," Mission Control replied.

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Space suit issues lead to delay of second spacewalk

Two astronauts working speedily outside the International Space Station removed a faulty pump module ahead of schedule, potentially negating the need for a planned Christmas Day spacewalk as they work to repair the outposts critical cooling system.

NASA astronauts Rick Mastracchio and Mike Hopkins ventured outside the space station at 7:01 a.m. EST (1101 GMT) today (Dec. 21), just 10 days after a flow control valve malfunctioned inside the pump module that they were set to remove and replace during another 6.5-hour spacewalk on Monday. Saturdays spacewalk ended at 12:29 p.m. EST (1729 GMT), five hours and 28 minutes after it began.

Originally, the astronauts were just going to prepare the faulty pump for removal today, but the spacewalkers completed the majority of the planned tasks for Saturdays spacewalk in just three hours. The astronauts were then given a go by Mission Control in Houston to press ahead with removing the faulty refrigerator-size pump module and stow it on a nearby platform. [See photos from the speedy spacewalk]

Were about an hour and a half ahead of the timeline, so, choosing your own adventure, were going to go ahead and look forward to doing the pump module exit, Mission Control advised the astronauts.

Ahead of the spacewalk schedule

The early removal could mean that a third spacewalk planned for Dec. 25, Christmas Day, may not be needed.

The faulty valve, which regulates the temperature of ammonia flowing through the pump, ceased working properly on Dec. 11. Non-critical systems and science experiments in two of the stations laboratories have been powered down since.

Saturdays spacewalk was originally focused on only disconnecting the fluid lines from the failed pump module and installing a jumper box to keep the ammonia from over pressurizing during the pumps replacement.

Working along the starboard, or right, side of the stations backbone truss, Mastracchio (riding on the end of the Canadarm2 robotic arm) and Hopkins first set about demating quick disconnect fluid lines from the faulty pump.

As their name implies, the quick disconnects were designed to be plugged in and out, but past spacewalks, including an August 2010 outing to replace the same pump module, ran into problems getting the pressurized lines loose. Learning from previous experiences, the pressure in the lines was reduced in preparation for Saturdays spacewalk.

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Spacewalking Astronauts Remove Faulty Space Station Pump

Two astronauts removed an old space station pump Saturday, well ahead of schedule. That task had been planned for the next spacewalk on Monday.

Astronauts removed an old space station pump Saturday, sailing through the first of a series of urgent repair spacewalks to revive a crippled cooling line.

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The two Americans on the crew, Rick Mastracchio and Michael Hopkins, successfully pulled out the ammonia pump with a bad valve - well ahead of schedule. That task had been planned for the next spacewalk on Monday.

"An early Christmas," observed Mission Control as Mastracchio tugged the refrigerator-size pump away from its nesting spot.

If Mastracchio and Hopkins keep up the quick work, two spacewalks may be enough to complete the installation of a spare pump and a third spacewalk will not be needed on Christmas Day as originally anticipated.

The breakdown 10 days earlier left one of two identical cooling loops too cold and forced the astronauts to turn off all nonessential equipment inside the orbiting lab, bringing scientific research to a near-halt and leaving the station in a vulnerable state.

NASA's Mission Control wanted to keep the spacewalkers out even longer Saturday to get even further ahead, but a cold and uncomfortable Mastracchio requested to go back. The spacewalk ended after 5 hours, an hour short on time but satisfyingly long on content.

Earlier, Mastracchio managed to unhook all the ammonia fluid and electrical lines on the pump with relative ease, occasionally releasing a flurry of frozen ammonia flakes that brushed against his suit. A small O-ring floated away, but he managed to retrieve it.

Here is the original post:
Spacewalkers, with snorkels, make quick work of space station repairs

Two astronauts removed an old space station pump Saturday, well ahead of schedule. That task had been planned for the next spacewalk on Monday.

Astronauts removed an old space station pump Saturday, sailing through the first of a series of urgent repair spacewalks to revive a crippled cooling line.

Subscribe Today to the Monitor

Click Here for your FREE 30 DAYS of The Christian Science Monitor Weekly Digital Edition

The two Americans on the crew, Rick Mastracchio and Michael Hopkins, successfully pulled out the ammonia pump with a bad valve - well ahead of schedule. That task had been planned for the next spacewalk on Monday.

"An early Christmas," observed Mission Control as Mastracchio tugged the refrigerator-size pump away from its nesting spot.

If Mastracchio and Hopkins keep up the quick work, two spacewalks may be enough to complete the installation of a spare pump and a third spacewalk will not be needed on Christmas Day as originally anticipated.

The breakdown 10 days earlier left one of two identical cooling loops too cold and forced the astronauts to turn off all nonessential equipment inside the orbiting lab, bringing scientific research to a near-halt and leaving the station in a vulnerable state.

NASA's Mission Control wanted to keep the spacewalkers out even longer Saturday to get even further ahead, but a cold and uncomfortable Mastracchio requested to go back. The spacewalk ended after 5 hours, an hour short on time but satisfyingly long on content.

Earlier, Mastracchio managed to unhook all the ammonia fluid and electrical lines on the pump with relative ease, occasionally releasing a flurry of frozen ammonia flakes that brushed against his suit. A small O-ring floated away, but he managed to retrieve it.

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Spacewalkers, with snorkels, make quick work of space station repairs (+video)

NASA orders spacewalks to fix Space Station
NASA says it will take a series of spacewalks to fix a broken cooling line that shut down half of the International Space Station #39;s cooling system last week....

By: CBS Evening News

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NASA orders spacewalks to fix Space Station - Video

Spacestation Live International Space Station Flight Control Room
Spacestation Live International Space Station Flight Control Room http://www.nasa.gov/ NASA managers are postponing the upcoming Orbital Sciences commercial ...

By: samuel ezerzer

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Spacestation Live International Space Station Flight Control Room - Video