Posted on 09/12/2006 9:18:38 AM PDT by RedCell
Astronauts Lose Bolt During Spacewalk Sep 12 11:55 AM US/Eastern
By MIKE SCHNEIDER Associated Press Writer
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla.
Spacewalking astronauts worried they have may have gummed up a successful job connecting an addition to the international space station Tuesday when a bolt, spring and washer floated free.
Astronaut Joe Tanner was working with the bolt when it sprang loose, floated over the head of Heidemarie Stefanyshyn-Piper and skittered across the 17 1/2-ton box-like truss that they were hooking up.
While the washer went out into space safely, Tanner worried the bolt and spring could get into the truss's wiring and tubing and causing problems.
"Not a good thing," Tanner said. "Let's hope it doesn't end up somewhere in the mechanism.
"I don't see it anywhere."
NASA managers were examining whether the lost bolt would be a problem. Space debris can be dangerous if it punctures space station walls or spacesuits and can jam crucial mechanisms. However, spacewalkers have a long history of losing material in space. In July, Discovery spacewalkers lost a 14-inch-long spatula that floated away.
The free-flying bolt marred an otherwise successful and speedy spacewalk Tuesday morning.
Tanner and Piper zipped through a jam-packed list of arduous but mundane construction tasks, putting NASA ahead of schedule in connecting the addition. With extra time, Mission Control assigned them half a dozen extra jobs of bolt removing and cover unlatching that would have been part of a Thursday spacewalk.
That's when the bolt got lost.
Atlantis astronauts Dan Burbank and Steve MacLean will head into space on Thursday.
The spacewalk was a first for rookie astronaut Piper, who joined an elite club of female spacewalkers.
Only six other women have participated in 159 U.S. spacewalks, and only one has gone on any of the 118 Russian spacewalks. A major reason for the lack of female spacewalkers is the spacesuit, which isn't designed for small sizes, said Piper, who is 5-foot-10. "If you fit in a suit then the easier it is to work," she said.
Before they started, astronauts MacLean and Jeff Williams, from inside the space lab, used the robotic arm to install the 45-foot addition on the left side of the space station's truss system. Two solar arrays will be unfurled from the truss on Thursday.
The spacewalk started a short time later at 5:17 a.m. EDT. Tanner was first to enter the void of space tethered to the space station, followed by Piper.
"Welcome to the world of EVAs," Tanner told Piper, using the NASA term for spacewalks _ extra vehicular activities.
"Aaah. Wonderful," Piper responded.
Tanner and Piper then started connecting wiring and cables to the $372 million truss segment that was moved Monday from space shuttle Atlantis' cargo bay to the space station's robotic arm. Wearing bulky suits and gloves, the spacewalking electricians also installed and disconnected bolts, connected tubes and activated latches _ tasks that had to be performed quickly so the electronic components do not get cold.
The team worked briskly, at one point putting themselves so far ahead of the schedule that Mission Control reminded them to take a break.
"The team is working hard to keep up with you guys," Mission Control said.
She's American, but I believe her father is a Ukrainian immigrant.
"If you see a Stuckey's, get me a pecan log."
I think there's one in the tile repair kit. I'll check the in the trunk...
When I was driving across country one time I asked my wife if she wanted to stop at the Stucky's to get a pecan roll.
She told me, only we could take it and throw it directly in the toilet to cut out the middle man.
No clue. All I could find was that she was born in St. Paul, MN, donchyaknow.
Serves 'em right for trying to serve pancakes in space.
Have they thought of that? Maybe they haven't. They think of lots of things, but a spring shouldn't just be going ...sproing... off into separate orbit.
One of 10's of thousands of pieces of space debris.
I find it amusing that the NASA guys haven't heard of magnetic parts trays, or if not magnetic parts, then use a sticky mat........
It was supposed to be a captive assembly, apparently that feature failed. It happens sometimes, and I know we'll be looking into it.
And there's the `parallel universe' theory for lost fasteners: after giving up searching in disgust,
then spending 15 minutes finding a replacement in your bins & returning to the job,
that little screw will re-appear.
Or maybe this is like a Dentist who says OOPS!
I am glad I do not work for NASA. If every time I lost a screw or bolt it ended up in the New York Times I couldn't bear the publicity!
The washer might be aluminum, so non-magnetic and could be lost. And it's a surpirsing thing, but things that are sticky here are not sticky in vacuum... We try to make things mechanically captive as much as possible when out used for EVA.
on earth, the missing parts would be guaranteed to roll to the part of the driveway underneath the vehicle that is the LEAST accessible.
Don't know what the orbital equivalent is, but I bet it's worse...
They are screwed!
Things that are sticky here are not sticky in space. That's interesting. How come?
And I like how your tag line is a quote from "Big Trouble in Little China". Hilarious movie.
10 minutes searching for lost or misplaced part.
10 minutes looking up parts list and part number.
10 minutes filling out parts requisition.
10 minutes waiting in line at stockroom to get part.
cost of original part: $0.10.........
You mean Post-it Notes won't work on the outside of the ISIS?............
I'd imagine there would be some sort of safety tent or net in which they would work if they are working with small parts. A slight spring tension could keep it puffed out and out of their way.
After further research, it's definitely Ukranian.
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