Power glitch sets Mir crew back
June 27, 1997
Web posted at: 4:02 p.m. EDT (2002 GMT)
(CNN) -- The Russian space station Mir may have free-floated
for two full orbits overnight after undergoing what NASA
officials described during a news conference as a "power
glitch" early Friday morning.
One section of Mir, the Spektr module, was struck by an
unmanned cargo ship on Wednesday as the crew practiced
docking with the ship. The collision punctured the module,
forcing Mir's three crew members to seal it off from the rest
of the craft and sever Mir from its most heavily used energy
source -- four solar panels attached to Spektr.
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NASA's Shuttle-Mir Program Manager Frank Culbertson said the
ship's computer disconnected from the control system
overnight, after some critical batteries ran low. The space
agencies are still not sure what caused the glitch, but
Culbertson said it was possible that a surge protector became
saturated or that there was a misconfiguration in the ship's
systems.
Astronaut Michael Foale talks to NASA Thursday |
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Asked whether there was a chance the glitch could happen
again, Culbertson said, "I suppose the risk is always there,
but I suppose they'll watch more closely now."
Because of the power failure, NASA describes things on Mir as
"more similar than we had planned" to the situation there
Thursday. Conditions on Mir are stable, with carbon dioxide
levels still within normal limits. Temperatures on the craft
were also within normal limits, and humidity was only about
10 percent above normal. Gyrodyne control, which keeps Mir
in a consistent orbit around the Earth, should be restored
within two days.
"If there weren't a depressurized module, it would look more
like a minor inconvenience than a major problem," Culbertson
said.
Plans are moving ahead to restore power from the disabled
module. Russian Space Agency told CNN it plans to launch a
cargo craft on July 4 or 5 that will bring the two Russian
cosmonauts and NASA astronaut Michael Foale the equipment
they need.
Ironically, the craft that would bring the repair equipment
is a Progress, the same type that rammed Mir two days ago.
Controllers in Moscow say the launch date is not firm because
some of the required spare parts, including special adapters
for their space suits and a special airtight door device,
still need to be manufactured.
Within 10 days of receiving those tools, the Russian members
of the crew would take a so-called "internal spacewalk,"
donning space suits to enter the depressurized Spektr, and
stringing electrical cable from the working solar panels back
into Mir's main core. During that time, Foale would wait in
Mir's Soyuz escape vessel.
"Guys, it seems you will have to make a sortie to the Spektr
module," reporters at Mission Control heard deputy mission
chief Sergei Krikalyov say. "And you, Mike, if this happens,
will have to sit in the escape capsule."
"It's very problematic," one of the Russians replied.
Neither space program would speculate as to how much longer
the men could remain on board. An attached Soyuz capsule
could bring them home at any time.
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