. | . |
Space station working to fold solar array
Houston (UPI) Dec 15, 2006 International Space Station flight engineer Thomas Reiter performed exercises to try to correct a stubborn solar array, NASA officials in Houston said. National Aeronautics and Space Administration officials said Friday they hope the exercises will fix the problem so another spacewalk wouldn't be necessary. The array has been in a mid-retracted position since Wednesday, when initial efforts by space shuttle Discovery and ISS personnel to pack it remotely were stopped by incorrect folds, Space.com said. NASA said friction between the array's guide wires as they pass through grommets may be the cause. Astronauts already tried wiggling the array to complete the retraction. If a spacewalk is required, flight controllers said a simple tug on the guide wire might do the trick. "I think we'll clear this with (intravehicular) steps," said Mike Suffredini, deputy ISS program manager for NASA. "No matter what we do, the array will always be structurally sound." Related Links
Northern Lights thrill southern Norway Oslo, Norway (UPI) Dec 15, 2006 The Northern Lights, common in northern Norway, went south a bit to provide a brilliant nighttime light show in Oslo. |
|
The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2006 - SpaceDaily.AFP and UPI Wire Stories are copyright Agence France-Presse and United Press International. ESA PortalReports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additionalcopyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement,agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by SpaceDaily on any Web page published or hosted by SpaceDaily. Privacy Statement |