Space station computer outage demands spacewalk

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CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. NASA has ordered spacewalking repairs for a serious computer outage at the International Space Station.

A backup computer for some robotic systems failed Friday. The main computer is fine and the six-man crew is safe, but the malfunction puts next week's supply run in jeopardy.

Mission managers agreed Saturday that a spacewalk is needed to replace the bad computer. But officials want one more day before deciding whether the situation is safe enough in orbit to proceed with Monday's SpaceX launch as planned.

NASA promised to decide Sunday whether to delay the delivery mission.

No date for the spacewalk has been set yet; officials indicated it could occur sometime in the next week or so. The job is among those practiced by the astronauts before flight.

The SpaceX Dragon capsule holds more than 2 tons of station supplies and science experiments at Cape Canaveral. The shipment is already a month late for unrelated reasons.

If the Dragon soars Monday launch time is 4:58 p.m. EDT then it would reach the orbiting lab on Wednesday.

Flight controllers want to make sure enough redundancy exists at the space station before committing to the launch.

The bad computer, called an MDM or multiplexer-demultiplexer, is among more than a dozen located on the outside of the space station, used to route commands to various systems.

Officials said the failure has had no impact on the scientific and other work being conducted by the astronauts: three Russians, two Americans and one Japanese.

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Space station computer outage demands spacewalk

Space Station Glitch Could Delay SpaceX Launch

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Science NASA This image provided by NASA shows the SpaceX Dragon cargo craft just prior to being released by the International Space Station's Canadarm2 robotic arm on May 31, 2012. NASA/AP

A failure in a backup electronics box for the International Space Stations robotic arm may force NASA to again postpone SpaceXs launch of a Dragon cargo ship to the station.

NASA mission managers said Saturday that the crew on board the ISS is in no danger, but a problem in a backup computer component could force a postponement, NBC reports.

The SpaceX Dragon capsule, which is slated to carry 4,600 pounds of supplies to the International Space Station, is scheduled to launch on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral, Fla. late Monday afternoon. However, the proper functioning of the robotic arm system is required to attach the Dragon to the International Space Station. While the primary system is working as expected, a backup box stopped responding to commands Friday.

A decision on whether to proceed with the launch will be made Sunday as NASA and SpaceX officials weigh whether its too dangerous to proceed with a faulty backup system.

[NBC]

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Space Station Glitch Could Delay SpaceX Launch

Space Station Glitch Could Delay SpaceX Cargo Ship's Launch

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NASA is weighing whether the failure of a backup electronics box for the International Space Station's robotic arm system will force another postponement in SpaceX's launch of a Dragon cargo ship.

If the box can't be revived, it would have to be replaced during a spacewalk. That might require SpaceX, the California-based company founded by billionaire Elon Musk, to hold off on its third resupply mission to the station under the terms of a $1.6 billion contract with NASA. But there's also a chance the mission could go ahead before the spacewalk.

In a status report issued on Saturday, mission managers emphasized that the crew was in no danger. But they're evaluating whether the problem with the computer component, known as a multiplexer-demultiplexer, would pose too much of a risk for the Dragon's hookup to the station which relies on the proper operation of the station's robotic arm.

A SpaceX Dragon capsule is attached to the International Space Station's robotic arm during a cargo run in 2012. The robotic arm is required to bring the Dragon in for its berthing.

The Dragon capsule is currently scheduled for launch atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station at 4:58 p.m. ET Monday, with the station berthing set for Wednesday. The Dragon is packed with about 4,600 pounds (2,100 kilograms) of supplies and equipment, including scientific experiments and the legs for the station's Robonaut 2 android.

The SpaceX launch has already been delayed once, due to a temporary problem with the Air Force's radar tracking system.

The problem with the backup multiplexer-demultiplexer, one of more than a dozen such boxes mounted on the station's exterior, cropped up on Friday when it stopped responding to commands. The primary system, which transmits commands to the robotic arm system's rail car, is working fine, NASA said. The big question is whether it's too risky to proceed with the Falcon 9 launch without the backup system. Astronauts on the station have to use the robotic arm to pull the Dragon in to its berthing port.

NASA said there were other contingency plans that didn't depend on the failed electronics box. A decision on whether to go ahead with the launch would be made on Sunday, after a series of technical reviews. Meanwhile, plans are also being laid for a spacewalk to replace the backup box, which is considered one of the station's routine maintenance tasks.

First published April 12 2014, 10:51 AM

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Space Station Glitch Could Delay SpaceX Cargo Ship's Launch

UN marks Day of human space flight, encourages exploration

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New York, Apr 12 : The necessity for international cooperation in space and the universal utility of duct tape were among insights revealed when the United Nations sent a former astronaut into cyberspace on Friday to inspire young people to explore new frontiers on the anniversary of the first human space flight.

Takao Doi, an expert on space applications with the UN Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA), who was an astronaut prior to joining the world Organization, conducted a Twitter chat to answer questions about his experiences ahead of the International Day of Human Space Flight, celebrated on 12 April.

On that day in 1961, Yuri Gagarin of the Soviet Union became the first human to go into space. Fifty years later, the UN General Assembly declared the International Day to mark the new era that had dawned and to encourage peaceful uses of outer space that would benefit all people.The exploration of outer space is a truly global undertaking and I hope that the International Day of Human Space Flight will inspire young people, in particular, to strive towards new frontiers of knowledge and understanding.

Doi flew in the space shuttles Columbia and Endeavour, in 1997 and 2008, respectively, undertaking a space walk in the first mission and visiting the International Space Station in the second.

Answering questions in Friday's Twitter chat, he compared the experience of walking in space to swimming in a scuba suit, and said that the space station was much larger than people imagined - "as big as a football field, lots of live and work space."

Asked if duct tape is ever used to temporarily repair equipment in space, Doi wrote, "All the time! Duct tape is an astronaut's best friend, carry it everywhere."

He told a questioner from a developing country that everyone's contributions are needed to make advances in outer space that would benefit humankind: "No one country has all innovative ideas; need international cooperation," he tweeted.

"The exploration of outer space is a truly global undertaking and I hope that the International Day of Human Space Flight will inspire young people, in particular, to strive towards new frontiers of knowledge and understanding," the new Director of UNOOSA, Simonetta Di Pippo said in her video message for the International Day.

Also to celebrate the day, UNOOSA, which is based at UN headquarters in Vienna, has launched its third edition of the online autograph album "Messages from Space Explorers for future generations," which features notes from international astronauts in English, French and Russian.

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UN marks Day of human space flight, encourages exploration

Sangre Chronicle > Red River > Recycling an idea, Red River heads back to drawing board

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RED RIVER A new recycling committee has been established in Red River, and its members hope to start a new waste-reduction program in town soon.

Town Councilor Steve Cherry, who was elected last month, will be the liaison for the recycling committee. Cherry said he has spoken about preliminary plans with recycling professionals in the area during the last couple of weeks, but the committee still needs more input, and a plan has yet to be drawn up.

Ive had some concerned citizens who want to discard their hazardous waste like paint and stuff, and they want to talk about how to dispose of those materials properly, Cherry said, adding that the program will most likely start with the basics: plastic, glass and cardboard.

The members of the committee as of Monday (April 7) were Steve Gorsich, Steve Cherry and Chris Downs.

One incentive Cherry mentioned was the refuse costs that could potentially be alleviated by recycling. Cherry is the proprietor of Shotgun Willies restaurant in Red River.

I just know as a business owner in the summer, if we get a large delivery, we can fill up one dumpster with cardboard, alone, Cherry said. I can only imagine what the total is for the rest of the town altogether. I know all the T-shirt shops, when they get in large orders of boxes, I think it would be beneficial for them to recycle.

The time frame for the project is still in the works. Mayor Linda Calhoun said it could be six months before anything serious reaches the town council for consideration.

I hope it (starts) pretty quick, Cherry said. When we were in Los Alamos, they had just bought new equipment for their compactors, and there are some other people who may have a compactor that they may want to get rid of. We may be able to use some equipment thats just sitting around. It would just take some time to get the equipment and the process. We may have to use city employees or a company come pick it up.

In addition to their real-estate business, Calhouns family also owns Red Rivers only supermarket, Der Markt. She said the store recycles some materials with a compactor. As for the rest of the town, using city employees may not be the direction the town can go.

We have visited with Angel Fire and Eagle Nest for the last few years, talking about their recycling programs, and what Im hoping the committee will do will be to seek grant funding, decide where we want to start, because this will be brand new, Calhoun said. We need to decide what we want to do and work out the logistics of it.

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Sangre Chronicle > Red River > Recycling an idea, Red River heads back to drawing board