Subscribe free to our newsletters via your
. Space Travel News .




STATION NEWS
Spacesuit flaw postpones station repairs to Dec 24
by Staff Writers
Washington (AFP) Dec 22, 2013


A new flaw has emerged in a US-made spacesuit, forcing NASA to delay until Christmas Eve the next outing to repair the International Space Station, the space agency said Saturday.

The problem came up in the cooling unit of veteran astronaut Rick Mastracchio's spacesuit after he re-entered the space station airlock following a spacewalk that lasted 5.5 hours, NASA said.

It was not believed to be the same type of issue that caused a dangerous water leak in the helmet of Italian astronaut Luca Parmitano in July.

An investigation into that situation is ongoing.

Faced with unexpected repairs due to an equipment breakdown at the orbiting lab on December 11, NASA arranged makeshift snorkels inside the 35-year-old spacesuits and absorbent pads in the helmets for these spacewalks in case such a leak happened again.

"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 -- specifically whether water entered into the suit's sublimator inside the airlock," the space agency said in a statement.

"This issue is not related to the spacesuit water leak that was seen during a July spacewalk."

A spokesman confirmed to AFP that the sublimator is the space suit's cooling unit.

Rather than allow Mastracchio, 53, to wear that suit again, astronauts are planning to work on resizing a spare spacesuit aboard the ISS for him on his next spacewalk to complete the ammonia pump module replacement.

The outing was initially set for Monday, but will now take place Tuesday, beginning at 7:10 am (1210 GMT).

NASA released the news late Saturday, after the spacewalk by the two American astronauts went faster than planned and appeared to go off without a hitch.

No live footage was broadcast, however, of the time astronauts spent inside the airlock after re-entering the space station following the spacewalk.

Astronauts made fast work of their key task for the day, disconnecting the old pump. They were also able to take on the extra task of removing the pump, which had been scheduled for Monday.

NASA mission control in Houston checked in with them frequently to see if they were experiencing any wetness in their helmets, and each time the spacewalkers reported no problems.

"Both Mastracchio and (Mike) Hopkins reported dry conditions repeatedly throughout Saturday's activities and the two were never in danger," NASA said in a statement.

Space agency officials told reporters this week that Hopkins, 44, would be wearing the suit Parmitano had worn when he experienced the leak that nearly drowned him, noting its water pump system had been replaced.

The spacewalks were called for after a faulty valve forced a partial shutdown in the system that regulates equipment temperature at the space station.

Engineers tried to fix the problem from the ground but decided after about a week that a replacement of the pump module was the best remedy.

On Saturday, Japanese astronaut Koichi Wakata operated the station's 57-foot (15-meter) robotic arm, hoisting Mastracchio and the refrigerator-sized ammonia pump module from one section of the lab to another.

With Mastracchio grasping the 780-pound (350-kilogram) module and unable to see where he was going, Wakata eased him into the right spot for stowing the pump.

The two US astronauts sported helmet cameras, and NASA TV showed the operations in real-time from the perspective of the spacewalkers.

At one point, Mastracchio said his toes were getting cold, but they warmed again once he alerted mission control in Houston and heaters were activated in his spacesuit boots.

Several hours in, when mission control asked if the pair could do even more tasks than planned for this spacewalk, possibly extending it to seven-plus hours instead of the planned six and a half, Mastracchio hesitated and then urged them to wrap up the outing.

He did not explain why, but muttered the phrase, "a couple of things," to mission control. NASA agreed and decided to end the spacewalk an hour early.

.


Related Links
Station at NASA
Station and More at Roscosmos
S.P. Korolev RSC Energia
Watch NASA TV via Space.TV
Space Station News at Space-Travel.Com






Comment on this article via your Facebook, Yahoo, AOL, Hotmail login.

Share this article via these popular social media networks
del.icio.usdel.icio.us DiggDigg RedditReddit GoogleGoogle








STATION NEWS
NASA plans 3 urgent spacewalks to fix ISS coolant system, suspends cargo delivery
Moscow (Voice of Russia) Dec 19, 2013
American astronauts will undertake a series of urgent spacewalks to repair a broken cooling line on the International Space Station. NASA has announced that two American astronauts will move soon to replace a busted valve within an external pump module on one of the station's two coolant loops that shut down last week when it reached pre-set temperature limits. The replacement will be unde ... read more


STATION NEWS
Orbital Launches Completes 40th Consecutive Successful Suborbital Rocket For NASA

NASA Awards Launch Services Contract for InSight Mission

Argentina successfully launches research rocket

Gaia secured inside fairing

STATION NEWS
Curiosity Team Upgrades Software, Checks Wheel Wear

Opportunity Communications Remain Slow Due To Odyssey Issues

New Views of Mars from Sediment Mineralogy

NASA poised to launch Mars atmosphere probe

STATION NEWS
NASA Releases New Earthrise Simulation Video

Most Chang'e-3 science tools activated

China's Lunar Lander May Provide Additional Science for NASA Spacecraft

China plans to launch Chang'e-5 in 2017

STATION NEWS
The Sounds of New Horizons

On the Path to Pluto, 5 AU and Closing

SwRI study finds that Pluto satellites' orbital ballet may hint of long-ago collisions

Archival Hubble Images Reveal Neptune's "Lost" Inner Moon

STATION NEWS
Using an Atmosphere to Weigh a Planet

Gaia Mission Could Help Map Exoplanets

First detection of a predicted unseen exoplanet

Astronomers solve temperature mystery of planetary atmospheres

STATION NEWS
SLS Chief Engineer Driven by 'Challenge' of Building America's Next Great Rocket

NASA Engineers Crush Fuel Tank to Build Better Rockets

JPL to Test New Supersonic Decelerator Technology

NASA Engineers Crush Giant Fuel Tank To Improve Rocket Design

STATION NEWS
China's moon rover continues lunar survey after photographing lander

China's Yutu "naps", awakens and explores

Deep space monitoring station abroad imperative

Chinese sci-fi writers laud moon landing

STATION NEWS
NASA's Asteroid Hunter Spacecraft Returns First Images after Reactivation

Dawn Creates Guide to Vesta's Hidden Attractions

What happens to ISON's remains?

Fire vs. Ice: The Science of ISON at Perihelion




The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2014 - Space Media Network. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA Portal Reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement,agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. Privacy Statement