Wed, Mar 16, 2005
New Circuit Breaker... Breaks
Remember that gyroscope circuit breaker astronauts installed
during an EVA last year? It was supposed to replace a circuit
breaker that had failed, leaving the International Space Station
with only two gyros to stabilize it and keep it oriented in
such a way that the solar panels were directed toward the sun.
Well, the replacement circuit breaker apparently needs to be
replaced.
The new part failed Wednesday, once again leaving the ISS with
just two of its four gyros in working order. There is a
spare on board, but replacing the replacement part will be
especially difficult since there are still only two crew members
aboard the station. If they leave the station on a spacewalk, there
won't be anyone inside to keep things running while they're gone.
One other gyro has been inop for three years, and is scheduled to
be replaced during the next shuttle mission.
Despite the breakdown, NASA reported Commander Leroy Chiao and
Flight Engineer Salizhan Sharipov maintained a normal schedule,
including a maintenance stint on one of the oxygen generators.
The gyro affected is the same one knocked out when a circuit
breaker failed in April 2004. Two months later, Commander Gennady Padalka and
NASA ISS Science Officer Mike Fincke staged a daring spacewalk
(above) -- leaving the station unmanned -- to repair
it.
But this time, the gyro problem could cause problems for the
space shuttles' return to flight. NASA plans to launch Discovery in
about two months, the first shuttle flight since the in-flight
destruction of Columbia on February 1st, 2003. That mission may
have to wait, though, if there are any questions about the
station's stability in orbit.
But Chiao and Sharipov are already scheduled for an EVA on March
28th, where they are to perform routine maintenance tasks. There is
no word yet on whether the troublesome breaker might be repaired
during that spacewalk -- but there is at least a window of
opportunity.
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