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Astronauts To Make Unplanned Spacewalk To Fix Solar Array
Houston (AFP) Texas, Dec 17, 2006 Astronauts aboard the space shuttle Discovery prepared Sunday for another space walk to dislodge a stuck solar array on the International Space Station, NASA said, adding an extra day to their flight in the process. Robert Curbeam and Sunita Williams will try again to unstick the solar panels in an unscheduled fourth spacewalk after failing to do so Saturday during a seven-and-a-half hour walk outside the ISS. The astronauts completed a delicate rewiring of the space station but were unable to get the jammed array to fold into its box, according to the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration. "We are going to do a fourth EVA (extravehicular activity) and finish it," ISS flight director John Curry told reporters after the third walk ended Saturday. "And obviously with all the successes today, I am very confident now we will probably be able to get that done," Curry said. On Sunday, crew members also were to continue moving cargo between Discovery and the ISS, officials said. "The majority of the day is probably going to be dedicated primarily to transfer activities," said Joel Montalbano, an ISS flight director. The new space walk would push the shuttle's scheduled landing in Florida back one day to Friday. The delay would halve the shuttle's two-day safety cushion for return to Earth. Discovery would only have one day's supply of oxygen and electrical power left, requiring a landing by next Saturday at the latest. Having finished their other scheduled tasks in little more than five hours, Curbeam and Williams worked Saturday on the jammed solar panel, with one of them pushing on the box into which the array is supposed to fold to free what NASA called "apparently misaligned guide wires." The problem solar array, which got stuck partially folded when the astronauts tried to retract it Wednesday, also prompted a less high-tech attempt to solve the problem Friday. At one point, NASA engineers in Houston asked German astronaut Thomas Reiter to exercise vigorously for 30 seconds on the ISS's training machine, hoping his vibrations would cause the panels of the stubborn array to fold all the way. Reiter, who after a five-month stay on the ISS will be replaced by Discovery astronaut Williams, tried several times to shake the array into action but was unsuccessful. "I'm very sorry to hear that," said Reiter when told by the Mission Control Center in Houston, Texas, that all his efforts had failed. "We'll give you a silver medal for that," a NASA controller replied. While the solar array needs to be fully retracted before it can be moved to another location on the ISS, its current position has allowed a new solar array to unfold and rotate properly. Discovery astronauts made space walks on Tuesday and Thursday to attach a two-tonne truss segment and to rewire the ISS for the new, power-supplying solar array delivered in September by the shuttle Atlantis. Despite the panel that is now stuck -- which has supplied electricity to the ISS for six years -- astronauts were able late Wednesday to activate the newer array so it could turn its photovoltaic cells to follow the sun. Once it is fully installed and operational, it will double the ISS's electrical output. The station, when completed, will have a total of four solar arrays providing it with electricity. With Saturday's repair mission, astronaut Sunita Williams became just the eighth woman -- seven Americans and one Russian -- to complete a spacewalk since 1965, the year such activities were first undertaken, compared to some 151 men. Including the current Discovery mission, NASA has planned 14 shuttle flights to finish the ISS by 2010, when the shuttle fleet, down to three vehicles, is to be retired. Discovery and its seven-member crew blasted off last Saturday from Cape Canaveral, Florida, in the first night liftoff in four years.
earlier related report "They have made some progress ... but it's likely we will have a fourth EVA (extravehicular activity) Monday," a NASA spokesman said, using US space agency speak for a space walk. "The management team is analysing the data but they have already told the crew to be prepared for an EVA," the spokesman said. Earlier Saturday NASA officials approved a possible fourth space walk if the team was unable to unstick the array. Having finishing their scheduled tasks in little more than five hours, the two astronauts worked on the jammed solar panel, with one of them pushing on the box into which the array is supposed to fold in an attempt to free what NASA called "apparently misaligned guide wires." If ordered to do a fourth walk, Curbeam would be joined by another crewmember on Monday. The new space walk would push the shuttle's scheduled landing in Florida back one day to Friday. A delay would halve the shuttle's two-day safety cushion for return to Earth. The shuttle would only have one day's supply of oxygen and electrical power left, requiring a landing by next Saturday at the latest. The problem solar array, which got stuck partially folded in an attempt to retract it Wednesday, prompted a less high-tech attempt to solve the problem Friday. At one point, NASA engineers in Houston asked German astronaut Thomas Reiter to exercise vigorously for 30 seconds on the ISS's training machine, hoping his vibrations would cause the panels of the stubborn array to fold all the way. Reiter, who after a five-month stay on the ISS will be replaced by Discovery astronaut Williams, tried several times to shake the array into action but was unsuccessful. "I'm very sorry to hear that," said Reiter when told by the Mission Control Center in Houston, Texas, that all his efforts came to naught. "We'll give you a silver medal for that," a NASA controller replied. While the solar array needs to be fully retracted before it can be moved to another location on the ISS, its current position has allowed a new solar array to unfold and rotate properly. Discovery astronauts went on space walks Tuesday and Thursday to attach a two-tonne truss segment and to rewire the ISS for the new, power-supplying solar array delivered in September by the shuttle Atlantis. Despite the stuck solar array -- it has supplied electricity to the ISS for six years -- astronauts late Wednesday were able to activate the newer array so it could turn its photovoltaic cells to follow the sun. Once it is fully installed and operational, it will double the ISS's electrical output. The station, when completed, will have a total of four solar arrays providing it with electricity. The Discovery mission is part of 14 shuttle flights NASA has planned over the next four years to finish the ISS by 2010, when the shuttle fleet, down to three vehicles, is to be retired. Discovery and its seven-member crew blasted off last Saturday from Cape Canaveral, Florida, in the first nighttime liftoff in four years.
Source: Agence France-Presse Related Links ISS Space Station News at Space-Travel.Com
Discovery Astronauts Begin Spacewalk To Rewire ISS
Houston (AFP) Texas, Dec 14, 2006Two Discovery astronauts Thursday began the second spacewalk of the 12-day space shuttle mission to rewire the International Space Station, NASA said. Mission specialist Robert Curbeam and Christer Fuglesang, Sweden's first astronaut, stepped outside the ISS at 1941 GMT, about 20 minutes ahead of time, the US space agency said. |
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