Re: US Spacesuits unusable

From: Abrigon Gusiq (abrigon_at_yahoo.com)
Date: 06/04/04 

Date: Thu, 03 Jun 2004 18:48:22 -0800

Sounds like the US/Russia are about the same in lack of money, and
resources. Both going into oblivion and ruin from neglect and like
problems..

Basically sounds like the ISS is becoming a slum.

Mike

bob haller wrote:
>
> http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,120793,00.html
>
> CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — NASA (search) ruled Monday that U.S. spacesuits
> (search) on the international space station (search) are unusable and ordered
> the crew to use Russian gear instead, adding considerable time and distance to
> a critical spacewalk next month.
>
>
>
> The crew wanted to wear American suits and go out the much closer American
> hatch to get to a broken power supply unit on the exterior of the space
> station, but a cooling problem with the outfits made that impossible.
>
> The mid-June spacewalk involves replacing a power control and circuit breaker
> box that last month shut down one of the gyroscopes that stabilize the space
> station and keep it tilted in the right direction. Only two of the four U.S.
> gyroscopes are working, the bare minimum; the first one shut down two years ago
> and cannot be replaced until NASA's shuttles fly again.
>
> Cosmonaut Gennady Padalka and astronaut Mike Fincke spent the past few days,
> without success, trying to get water flowing properly to Padalka's American
> spacesuit for cooling. They could not get a spare U.S. spacesuit to work,
> either. So with only one good U.S. spacesuit on board, NASA managers decided to
> use Russian suits and conduct the spacewalk from the Russian side of the
> station.
>
> The crewmen need to leave from the Russian side because the Russian spacesuits
> are not compatible with communication equipment in the U.S. air lock.
>
> The Russian hatch is about 80 feet from the bad circuit breaker, located on the
> American side of the station. The U.S. hatch is 30 feet from the work site.
>
> Fincke and Padalka will use an approximately 50-foot Russian-built telescoping
> boom to get part way there, and will be on the lookout for antennas and other
> protruding hazards.
>
> "It's not as dangerous as a mine field by any means," Fincke said in an
> interview with The Associated Press. "It's just going to take a fair amount of
> time to get there and to come back."
>
> NASA engineers, meanwhile, are trying to figure out what is wrong with the two
> U.S. spacesuits, unused for more than a year. Replacement parts are limited
> aboard the station because of the grounding of the shuttle fleet since last
> year's Columbia disaster. A Russian cargo ship was scheduled to blast off
> Tuesday, carrying much-needed supplies.
>
> Until shuttle flights resume next spring, at the earliest, station astronauts
> will likely be limited to four Russian spacesuits for outside work. Two are
> brand new; one malfunctioned during a spacewalk by the previous crew in
> February, but the cooling problem -- a crimped water line -- has since been
> fixed.
>
> Fincke and Padalka, one month into a six-month stay, already had two
> Russian-based spacewalks on their schedule before a third was added to restore
> the powerless gyroscope.
>
> "We know that there's a feeling down below that maybe there are a lot of
> problems up here, but to be honest with you, Gennady and I have talked about
> this. We really don't see it the same way that perhaps people on the ground
> do," Fincke said. Aside from the failed circuit breaker, the bad suits and some
> burned-out lights, "We feel really comfortable. We really like this space
> station. It is a masterpiece."
>
>
>
> So why arent russian suits designed to communicate on the american side? This
> story is a example of whats wrong with ISS and such issues will be a future
> investigation when something bad happens....
> HAVE A GREAT DAY!

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