Posted on 05/11/2013 1:06:54 PM PDT by BenLurkin
Edited on 05/11/2013 1:10:05 PM PDT by Admin Moderator. [history]
A mysterious leak of coolant on the international space station compelled two astronauts to make an extraordinary, unplanned spacewalk Saturday in which they tried in vain to find the source of the streaming ammonia....
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
Its fixed. They apparently installed a new pump.
/johnny
I hear the next cargo mission is bringing up 5,000 lbs. of duct tape....
(Not really, but its well worth watching!)
That said, outside is more like the inside of a space suit. You can’t even scratch your nose. But you do have a view, unlike inside which has just has one tiny window. The microgravity would be the most interesting aspect. There’s no way to duplicate it on earth, by the way, which is why there is no way to tell if a new astronaut will get space sick. About 1/3 of them do.
cool. I wish I could get one. ;-]
bbc
Astronauts replace pump on emergency spacewalk
\http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-22492521
Two US astronauts have replaced a pump on a spacewalk aimed at fixing a leak of ammonia from the International Space Station’s cooling system.
Chris Cassidy and Tom Marshburn completed the work an hour ahead of schedule, reporting no further escape.
The crew had spotted particles of ammonia drifting away from the laboratory on Thursday.
Nasa said the crew were not at risk but managers wanted to solve the problem before Mr Marshburn left the station.
He is due to return to Earth early next week along with the space station’s Canadian commander Chris Hadfield and Russian cosmonaut Roman Romanenko, after six months in space.
Another extra to APoD members, thanks BenLurkin.
I’ve heard that astronauts who spend months on the Space Station can’t cope with Earth’s gravity once they come home. The zero gravity over time supposedly makes their bones soft and weak, including their spines, and makes their muscles flaccid because there’s no way to do gravity-intensive chores that the earthbound take for granted. I’ve heard that they have to spend months in wheelchairs or on their backs, just to get used to gravity again. Is that true?
Yes, zero gravity causes calcium depletion in the bones. For this reason, astronauts have to do daily work-outs in space. Did you see the movie 2001 a space odyssey? The centrifuge provided moon-like gravity but they still had to work out, as shown in the scene with Poole jogging along it.
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