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Space Station Crew Face Air-Scrubber Failures
madumas writes: "This article reports that the crew of the ISS (or alpha, or...) seem to have some problems with their air scrubber. They need replacement parts so fix the regenerator. It's interesting to see that they are a failure away from an emergency evacuation. For now, they are planning the shipping of the spare parts that should be done Dec. 26. Let's hope for them it doesn't fail."
That would have to be one hell of a large one... man, what are they serving those poor guys.
Imagine that headline: "Astonauts dead of metan poisoning."
One of the few surviors said:
- First, it was this dreadfull sound, like a deep rumble... Then we strated to realise something was very wrong. We all headed for the emergency escape craft...*cries*...God! It was so horrible...people dying all over... I'm so lucky to sit here today.
- Knut S.
Russia (USSR) has lost 4 cosmonauts in two in-flight accidents, all of them on landing:
Vladimir Komarov (Soyuz 1, Apr 23 1967) - parachute system failure, the capsule crashed into a field;
Georgi Dobrovolsky, Viktor Patsayev, Vladislav Volkov (Soyuz 11, Jun 6 1971, first ever space station flight) - valve failure on separation of orbital module and landing capsule. No spacesuits and no air.
There was one Russian accident similar to Apollo 1: Valentin Bondarenko was killed on March 23, 1961 in oxygen camera. After a routine blood test he dropped alcohol soaked cotton ball on a hot electric stove, starting the oxygen fire. Valentin died in the hospital the same day.
There were no more Cosmonaut deaths. However, there were numerous rocket and military missile accidents killing the ground crew.
I mean, come ON. These guys used to be unbeatable. They used to plan for everything! They're just a pale ghost now of what they were in the 60's, trumpeting as achievements things we could have done as early as 1970.
Gimme a break. Problems with the air scrubbers, so they have to send back to earth for more? What happened to the old Nasa "Triple-redundant-everything-even-toilet-paper" game plan? In the Apollo 13 mission, when everything was going down the crapper all at once, the air scrubbers started going out, too. So some really smart guys on the ground worked out a plan to fix the scrubbing system with nothing more than the spare junk the astronauts had with 'em in the spacecraft. Now THAT's enterprising.
The reason behind all this is simple, it seems to me: funding. Remember that Mars lander the US government spent millions on, which we lost contact with? They believe it might have been a failure due to a faulty communications component that should have been caught in quality control. Quite simply, if you look at the numbers, the US government has been cutting NASA's funding back since the early 70's, basically strangling them. The government has NEVER taken NASA seriously, or the benefits of space travel.
In the 60's, the government's view towards space was "beat the ruskies". In the 70's it was "well we have this new space shuttle, let's use it". In the 80's and 90's, it was "let's let the science guys have their fun, it's good entertainment." Like their very own science fiction movie! The only reason we still have a space program is because the government knows it needs it for PR purposes. Quite simply, space exploration today is a pitiful shadow of what it could be. We could have had a moon base AND a mars base by now. We could be researching lunar and asteroid mining. We could be researching zero-g manufacturing and medical techniques. We could be looking into using space-age technology to build floating cities to use the 75% of earth's surface area we can't inhabit. Instead, we have a massive financial boondoggle and a tiny little space station that's falling apart as fast as we can build it.
Arthur C. Clarke, science fiction author and inventor of the communications satellite, was predicting such things as zero-g medical facilities saving lives and asteroid mining and mars colonies. He was predicting these things back in the 50's, and certainly expected them before 1980, as he should have - everyone mistook NASA's government support as a support of science, rather than simply a oneupmanship contest with the Russians. Now, 50 years later, we have done NOTHING.
I think it's time for something to be done. What, I'm not sure. Suggestions?
-Kasreyn.
Kasreyn: Cheerfully playing the part of Devil's Advocate to hairtrigger
And Russians have better record on launch abort casualties:
April 05 1975, crew of 2 - stages 2 and 3 failed to separate - 20G reentry, both survived.
September 26 1983, crew of 2 - explosion on the pad, saved by the launch abort system.
Compare to STS-51-L.
Those of us who really want to see the space program go should note that this is one of the major differences between occasionally shooting men off in a ballistic orbit and running a flight service. Events that were previously life threatening and required massive engineering/bravery/effort, are now being dealt with in more or less routine fashion, by a supply chain, transport, and on-site service.
I want to see the day when I can book a ticket off this rock through any travel agent.
*whup* "Get along, little electrons. Heeyah!"
As someone else mentioned above, pencils leave dust behind, both when using and erasing, as well as when sharpening. This isn't a problem here on earth, but in space, you don't exactly want a lot of graphite and wood shavings floating around, mucking up your electrical equipment, your air filters/scrubbers, and your lungs.
---
When in danger or in doubt, run in circles, scream and shout. --Robert A. Heinlein
Thing is, how many other countries have a major space program (host country going bankrupt notwithstanding) that have a lot of microgravity experience, and are politcally friendly?
The US and France (not that France has any kind of space program) are not at the best of terms, Germany is still re-building the eastern half, the UK... what are they up to, and Japan. Actually, I'm surprised that Japan isn't involved... well, maybe they are, but if so, the newspeople are ignoring it.
You can pretty much count out all of Africa, the Middle East, most of Asia, South America, and a fair chunk of Europe. No one really lives in Antarctica, so that really leaves the Aussies. Are they involved? If not, why not? (Probably because you couldn't convince an Aussie he'd need a spacesuit...)
Finally, I wouldn't be too surprised if some of the American bits start breaking too. If the past is any indication, the parts were either made by the lowest bidder, or by some pork-barrelled government contractor who can charge $300 for a screwdriver.
Just my 2 shekels.
Kierthos
Mr. Hu is not a ninja.
We're too busy riding kangeroos to work..
Actually Australia and Japan are cooperating on a space program based at Woomera (where a lot of US and British missiles used to get tested).
The Japaneese have been testing an unpowered return vehicle that can be attached to a rocket shuttle style, deploy a satellite, then glide back down to earth.
The glide back down to earth bit is what they were testing at woomera.
There was talk of it being used as a CRV as well.
Official GOD FAQ.
Anyone who is interested in the fate of the International Space Station might want want to consider checking out "Dragonfly", a book about the experiences of the NASA astronauts on Mir. They had quite a bit of trouble with these air scrubbers, which I believe are the same used on ISS. Someone correct me if I'm mistaken.
Since your reindeer seem to defy all the laws of physics, do you think that you could take a few minutes from your busy schedule on Monday and send us up a couple of spare air scrubbers? We promise to leave you out some milk and cookies in return.
Yours truly,
The Crew of the International Space Station
(Send it now before the postage rates go up!)
--
"May I have ten thousand marbles, please?"
One important lesson from Alpha, Mir, and even the US space shuttle is that when items break in space, they're hard to repair. The space shuttle is only expected to be in space for a few days (maximum of about 2 weeks, I belive). If something serious goes wrong, they can always abort the mission and land early. Likewise, Alpha and Mir underwent periodic resupply and in extreme cases could flee back to Earth.
Now consider a mission to Mars. This would have a duration of about 3 years. If you ran into problems two months out, if should take at least a month to return, and more likely 3 (depending of fuel capacity and burn rate). So, you simply fix the problem or you die. Now who here trusts their engineering for that project?
Given one hour to live, the student replied: "I'd spend it with professor FP who can make an hour seem like a lifetime."
Naw, this isn't your father's NASA. Today those guys would have probably died while they were fscking around rebooting their NT boxes on the ground at mission control to verify that it wasn't an anomaly in their telemetry. I'm probably just dealing with the wrong people, but these are definitely NOT the types that could improvise anything. Even suggesting some non-COTS solution is like hitting them in the head with a clue stick. They just stare at you like you're speaking Martian.
I think it was the Fisher company that developed the Space Pen, I remember touring their plant in Las Vegas when I was a Boy Scout...
They've got more uses than just space, I use mine for writing on paper that's gotten greasy, or on some shiny labels. They also work upside down, under water, and in extreme temperatures.
You can find out some more about them at the company's web site.
---
When in danger or in doubt, run in circles, scream and shout. --Robert A. Heinlein
First off, if you read the article you'll realize that the supply ship that will be docking on the 26th is a Russian Progress unit that has been up for about a month or so. It went up shortly after they took residence on the station. So when that unit went up they still had two spares for the fan unit.
Secondly even if the third fan were to go, and no one could launch in the 14 day time frame we still wouldn't be runing a risk of losing anyone. There is a Soyez capsule attacked to the station, the same one that they used to get to the station that they can evacuate in at any time.
"You can't fight in here! This is the war room" --Dr. Stra
Check out Greg's Bridge Page!
Why didn't they release the source for the air scrubber? Seems to me that if the air scrubber was open source this wouldn't have been a problem. Each of us could have examined the source and made sure that is was good. Open source is good. Linux.
To quote the Russian Cosmonaut from "Armageddon":
Russian components, American Components. They're all made in Taiwan!
-----------------------
This isn't a detroit car folks, so cut the ISS builders some slack. Guess what--- space exploration is DANGEROUS.
The first Jet Planes didn't win any safety awards, either.
I don't know about the U.S., but here in Europe Russian technolgy has a reputation for being extremely simple and robust. During the assembly phase of the ISS one of the more persistent rumors about the reason for the delays was that the U.S. components were sub-par, made by the lowest bidder and had to be improved before being useable.
IMHO the best anecdote about the different attitudes towards space technology in the U.S. and Russia is the bit about the writing utensils: when early astronauts/kosmonauts found out that ballpoint pens fail in microgravity, the U.S. spent a comparatively large amount of time and money to devise a pen that would actually work in an oribiting spacecraft (the famous "space pen"). The Russians thought about the matter for a moment and decided to use pencils instead.
$0.2E-32
Alexander
Imagine the shame of being the first to let one rip. "This is Commander Smith. He was first in his class at the Air Force Academy and was Top Gun, but he cleared the International Space Station with one SBD..."
>space program (host country going bankrupt
>notwithstanding) that have a lot of microgravity
>experience, and are politcally friendly?
>The US and France (not that France has any kind
>of space program) are not at the best of terms,
>Germany is still re-building the eastern half,
>the UK... what are they up to, and Japan.
>Actually, I'm surprised that Japan isn't
>involved... well, maybe they are, but if so, the
>newspeople are ignoring it.
>You can pretty much count out all of Africa, the
>Middle East, most of Asia, South America,and a
>fair chunk of Europe. No one really lives in
>Antarctica, so that really leaves the Aussies.
>Are they involved? If not, why not? (Probably
>because you couldn't convince an Aussie he'd
>need a spacesuit...)
Well while it is true Russia and the U.S. are doing the majority of the work and cost, there are a number of other countries that will contribute after the core of the station is built.
Some of the countries future contributions include:
U.S.:
-Truss and Photovoltaic Arrays
-U.S. Lab
-Centrifuge Accomodation Module
-Node 2
-Node 3
-Crew Return Vehicle (X-38)
-Habitation Module
Russia:
-Science Power Platform
-Universal Docking Module
-Research Module 1
-Research Module 2
-Docking Compartment
Japan:
-Kibo [JEM Experimental Logistics Module, JEM Remote Manipulator System, JEM Exposed Facility]
European Union:
-European Lab/Columbus Orbital Facility
Canada:
-CSA Remote Manipulator System (robot arm)
Italy:
-Multi-Purpose Logistics Module (A supply "van" for moving stuff from Earth to the station) Brazil: Express Express
Some excellent links:
//m
As far as whinging about NASA goes, the problem is multifaceted: reduced spending, wayward spending, political interests beefing up programs for Congressional approval only because of the amount of pork they'd bring to their constituents (and thereby putting price tags so high that they get shelved).
But it's best that we're not cynical about this. Try and recall the technologies we got humans to the moon with, how antiquated and retrogade it is to us now. The ISS could stay up, and people will surivive - just look at what Shackelton went through in the Antarctic - as long as we don't cave into easy cynicism and humor. And why not? Because if this program fails, so will all other future multinational space efforts - and the result will be that someday someone's going to plant an AOL / Time Warner flag on Mars by the time we get there.
** http://www.nkhumanrights.or.kr/ ** Human rights in North Korea. 1 million estimated dead from starvation.
But those political problems have a direct relationship to the problem at hand.
They may have the experiance to do it right, but if they don't have the money to pay thier engineers and thier assembly-line folk, there's going to be problems no matter how much experience they have.
-Andy
"After a day and a half in the LM a warning light showed that the carbon dioxide had built up to a dangerous level. Mission Control devised a way to attach the CM canisters to the LM system by using plastic bags, cardboard, and tape- all materials carried on board."
Will they never learn?
Actually, your statistics rely on "public data." The Russians lie. There were at least two capsules that never made it up (explosions on launch), and a fair number that died on the ground (one of which, if I recall correctly, actually took out some high level brass observing nearby.) Not to mention at least one that we heard of where the astronauts died in the capsule, because of leaks. Of course, these events never made it into the "public record." One of the advantages of working in a totalitarian system, where you can truly control the media. (I heard of them because one of my father's friends worked on their projects as an engineer.)
Thalia
So far, they went through two fans, and are on the third one for the only air purification system they have on-board. It appears, although the article doesn't specifically mention this, that the two failed fans can not be repaired. (although they say that one of the fans had a "bad electrical connector" which sounds like something emminently fixable.) The question of whether they could jury-rig an alternative fan is also not addressed.
By the way, according to the story, the replacement parts "will be ferried into orbit aboard Atlantis, scheduled for launch Jan. 18, or the next Progress supply ship, currently targeted for takeoff Feb. 10." This sounds like the next supply ship (December 26th) will not have these bits.
Well, even if the air supply system truly fails, they have 14 days, and we or the Russians can certainly launch in less time than that. The US doesn't lose astronauts as easily as the Russians, I expect we'd try to save them.
Thalia
Nuclear subs have oxygen generators that break up seawater into hydrogen and oxygen. They aren't operated as closed systems. Spacecraft, of course, don't have that option.
Any good vendor of space technology will just send them replacement parts overnight by FEDEX.
Thing is, there's only so many times you can test something to insure that it works properly before you start drastically cutting its usage lifetime. Another thing you have to consider is that some things work differently in microgravity then in 1-G environments. Yeah, they use air scrubbers in submarines too, but it's a different system, and if all else fails, they can always rise to the surface for more air.
Anyway, if they have to go to their backup backup system, which only lasts for 14 days, they still have plenty of time. There's a launch on the 26th, which still gives them 6 spare days to play around with. And given that time frame, if the launch on the 26th goes wrong, there's still time to try a few more options.
Finally, MIR was a wreck to begin with...
Kierthos
Mr. Hu is not a ninja.