Rhino
10-29-2007, 08:40 AM
Astronauts Discover Problem on Space Station
Sunday, October 28, 2007
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — Spacewalking astronauts doing construction work outside the international space station Sunday made a disturbing discovery: what appear to be metal shavings inside a joint that is needed to turn a set of solar power panels.
The rotary joint, 10 feet in diameter, has experienced intermittent vibrations and power spikes for nearly two months. Space station managers were hoping a thermal cover or bolt might be hanging up the mechanism, which would have been relatively easy to fix, and were disheartened when Daniel Tani radioed down that metal shavings were everywhere.
"It's quite clear that it's metal-to-metal grating or something, and it's widespread," Tani said.
"Wow," said his spacewalking partner, Scott Parazynski....http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,305777,00.html
Sunday, October 28, 2007
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — Spacewalking astronauts doing construction work outside the international space station Sunday made a disturbing discovery: what appear to be metal shavings inside a joint that is needed to turn a set of solar power panels.
The rotary joint, 10 feet in diameter, has experienced intermittent vibrations and power spikes for nearly two months. Space station managers were hoping a thermal cover or bolt might be hanging up the mechanism, which would have been relatively easy to fix, and were disheartened when Daniel Tani radioed down that metal shavings were everywhere.
"It's quite clear that it's metal-to-metal grating or something, and it's widespread," Tani said.
"Wow," said his spacewalking partner, Scott Parazynski....http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,305777,00.html