2013-12-22 12:43
[Photo: PAP / EPA / NASA]
During the ongoing five and a half hour spacewalk two Americans removed the old pump that ammonia.
Americans 53-year-old Rick Mastracchio and 44-year-old Mike Hopkins (pictured Hopkins in preparation) went into space to begin exchanging a defective pump pumping ammonia, which is used as a cooling agent. It is a difficult operation because the pump is the size of a refrigerator and has a mass of 353 kg.
When first starting the astronauts prepared only front works by disconnecting wires, removing the old pump and preparing backup. It was only during the second exit to join the proper installation. It take place on Monday, and any third output is planned for Christmas. If it happens, it will be the second exit into space in the history of this festive day. The first took place in 1973 during a mission to Skylab.
However, according to the Associated Press Saturday work pace was so fast that repairs can be completed during the second exit. The command center took even consider the possibility of extending the mission Saturday, but cold and discomfort Mastracchio forced to return to the station.
Saturday work in space lasted five and a half hours, an hour less than planned.
Going into space, Mastracchio said is a beautiful day , when the ISS flew over the west coast of Africa.
NASA has before repairing special security measures to avoid the reimposition of the accident, which occurred in July, when Italian astronaut Luca Parmitano nearly died when his helmet was flooded with water leaking from the cooling system of the suit. Although the exact causes of that test failures were not recognized.
In connection with that event in the helmets of American astronauts installed a special tube for emergency breathing. They will be used in the event of water entering the helmet.
This time there was a failure, but in the middle of the work Mastracchio had to raise the temperature in the shoes due to the significant chilling of the feet. Astronaut also complained generally feeling unwell. After securing the old pump and tools needed for the dismantling of the men were permitted to complete the mission.
The mission on board the ISS joined the fire alarm. But then it turned out that he was a fake.
NASA experts believe that the repair could not be put off, because if there is a failure of the second cooling system, the station will be seriously compromised. The threat may be so large that you will have to evacuate the entire crew.
From the time of failure, that is, from December 11, air-conditioning inside the station provides a second, back-up system. It works independently of the first, but his run made it necessary to exclude parts of the apparatus, which is not required.
NASA ensures that the lives of six members of the ISS crew is not at risk.
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