NASA salvages old space shuttle parts for the ISS

engadget ^ | Mariella Moon

[BenLurkin]

NASA has apparently been stripping and reusing parts from old spacecraft, because when you have lofty goals and a limited budget, you gotta do what you gotta do. For instance, it's salvaging the four water tanks installed on the space shuttle Endeavour this week, so the agency can use them to build a new storage system for the International Space Station. Those tanks can store 300 liters in all that can last for 25 to 27 days: they're expected to help free more time for the crew to spend on their experiments. Also, according to NASA spokesperson Daniel Huot, they "could greatly reduce the overall cost to build the new system." Refilling the space station's water reservoir can be time-consuming, since the astronauts recycle every ounce of liquid they can, including urine and sweat.

[MadMax, the Grinning Reaper]

At least someone at NASA has a brain and is actually working on our space programs, not doing “nicey-nicey” PR/BS programs with Moslems who don’t even know that there is an international space station or what it is.

[Prov1322]

'59 PV544, Chicago, winter of 1972. Cracked exhaust manifold boiled the gas in the SU's leading to an engine fire while tooling down the Kennedy Expressway on my way to work one morning.

WHOA! I had my issues with my '64 544 and '67 122 Wagon, but nothing like that!

[moovova]

Nice clean-up on those guys.

[GingisK]

It is pathetic that this once great Nation must salvage parts from museums to keep space operations going.

[NCC-1701]

I believe that the Apollo 16 command module instrument panel was re-used and flew aboard the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project command module. The docking probe flown on Apollo 14 was later used on the second manned Skylab flight.

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks NCC-1701!