Railcar completes first tests on ISS
Posted: Tue, Apr 16, 2002, 9:01 AM ET (1301 GMT)
The crew of the International Space Station and STS-110 battled glitches during the first test of the Mobile Transporter on the S0 truss segment of the station Monday. The transporter moved a little over five meters down a rail on the truss segment initially, but a software problem kept the railcar from automatically latching into place. The railcar was latched using manual controls, and later in the day moved again, when the automatic latching system also failed. Engineers believe that microgravity is lifting the railcar off its tracks by a microscopic amount, confusing the sensors used to automatically latch the railcar. No other problems were reported during the test, and NASA believes that a minor software fix should fix the latching problem. The final spacewalk of the STS-110 mission is scheduled for Tuesday, when Jerry Ross and Lee Morin will install a ladder between the Unity airlock and S0 truss that was to be installed during the last spacewalk but was delayed when that EVA ran behind schedule. The two will also perform a number of miscellaneous tasks outside the station, including attaching shock absorbers to the Mobile Transporter.
The crew of the International Space Station and STS-110 battled glitches during the first test of the Mobile Transporter on the S0 truss segment of the station Monday. The transporter moved a little over five meters down a rail on the truss segment initially, but a software problem kept the railcar from automatically latching into place. The railcar was latched using manual controls, and later in the day moved again, when the automatic latching system also failed. Engineers believe that microgravity is lifting the railcar off its tracks by a microscopic amount, confusing the sensors used to automatically latch the railcar. No other problems were reported during the test, and NASA believes that a minor software fix should fix the latching problem. The final spacewalk of the STS-110 mission is scheduled for Tuesday, when Jerry Ross and Lee Morin will install a ladder between the Unity airlock and S0 truss that was to be installed during the last spacewalk but was delayed when that EVA ran behind schedule. The two will also perform a number of miscellaneous tasks outside the station, including attaching shock absorbers to the Mobile Transporter.
Related Links:
| <<previous article | next article>> |
|
news in brief
|
|
|
|
news links
|
|
Friday, January 23
Elon Musk’s SpaceX Lines Up Banks to Lead Mega-IPO
Bloomberg News — 6:22 am ET (1122 GMT) Musk Hints At Starlink Air-To-Ground Laser Link
Aviation Week — 6:22 am ET (1122 GMT) The next phase of space transportation policy must embrace public, private, and global stakeholders
Aerospace Corporation — 6:20 am ET (1120 GMT) Actor Johnny Huang to become China's first celebrity space tourist
ECNS — 6:20 am ET (1120 GMT) Blue Origin launches 6 tourists to space from Texas
WESH-TV Orlando — 6:19 am ET (1119 GMT) |
