Cooling pump fails on International Space Station; six-man crew OK

CNN ^ | updated 8:22 PM EST, Wed December 11, 2013 | John Zarrella and Catherine E. Shoichet

[BenLurkin]

Officials discovered the malfunctioning loop was producing too much ammonia Wednesday morning, NASA spokesman Josh Byerly said.

Teams have shut down some non-critical systems on the station as a result of the problem, NASA said.

The space station's life support system is still up and running.

Officials could determine that an emergency spacewalk is the best way to fix the failed pump -- something they've done in the past.

[Revolting cat!]

Inter-global Warming!

[occamrzr06]

Could be something Howard Wolowitz did.

[Mastador1]

But just in case it’s catastrophic and they need to evacuate we can always send up a space shu... oh yeah.

[real saxophonist]

Hope they're going to be okay. It is cool to go outside and look up and see the Station fly over.

Here's where and when you can.

Don't need binoculars or anything.

[Iron Munro]

Maybe NASA can hire the Russians or Chinese to deliver a replacement.

NASA is currently preoccupied with Dear Leader’s muslim outreach.

[FreedomStar3028]

Don’t they have a lifeboat? I thought they have something up there if they need to evacuate. Not sure if it will fit 6 though.

[pax_et_bonum]

Lol!

[Secret Agent Man]

They just cracked open a window for awhile. /sarc

[MaxMax]

Why are the six man crew in Oklahoma?

[GeronL]

You would think so, although they might need 2 lifeboats with 6 people

[Mastador1]

Don’t they have a lifeboat? I thought they have something up there if they need to evacuate. Not sure if it will fit 6 though.

What I can find says three people to each Soyuz lifeboat, but don’t know how many lifeboats are connected.

[FreedomStar3028]

So basically if they know they are going to die they can get off, but if something catastrophic happened. They would be screwed, got it.

[ToastedHead]

"They're saying it's man made."

[garjog]

Oh, oh. Shades of Gravity.

[OrangeHoof]

Meanwhile, they can be the first space crew to play Naked Twister in zero gravity because that will be a record nobody will ever break.

IIRC, the Shuttle is supplied with one lifeboat and the others will just have to use a really, really long rope. Survivors will be chosen according to how many times they have voted Democrat.

[Talisker]

LOL!

[a fool in paradise]

This is why women may want to reconsider passage to the International House of Space Stations (IHoSS).