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Longest Space Walk in History

Posted by michael on from the short-pier dept.

mashy writes "Sunday, astronauts on Space Shuttle Discovery set the record for the longest space walk in history, at nearly nine hours, according to this article at CNN. On the walk, the crew made room for a cargo carrier on the space station, among other things."

12 comments

  1. Another inaccuracy in your post by DiSKiLLeR · · Score: 1

    Another inaccuracy in your post... "orbit in less then an hour?"

    The ISS (and thus, the space shuttle that is docked to it) orbit the earth every 90 minutes.

    Count that again. Every 90 minutes.

    Last i checked, 90 minutes was an hour and a half. Again, i don't know what your smoking, but its damn good shit.

    --
    You can tell how powerful someone is by the magnitude of the crime they can commit and be able to get away with.
  2. Re:9-Hour EVA by Snard · · Score: 1
    Each EMU [space suit] has two oxygen tanks (similar to scuba diving tanks) that work with a carbon dioxide removal system to allow a 6 to 8.5 hour spacewalk. -From the web site mentioned in the parent.

    So, the suit has oxygen for 8.5 hours, (the web site also said battery power and whatever else was designed to be able to last that long), how did they stay out 9 hours?


    Maybe the numbers quoted on that web site are analogous to the "74 minute maximum" length for CDs, which have in recent times been upped to 80 minutes (and more). So perhaps they have upped the limits via new space suit design.

    Or to use a different metaphor, perhaps the astronauts are "overclocking" their suits...
    --
    - Mike
  3. Re:9-Hour EVA by shuffler · · Score: 1

    They wear adult diapers.

  4. Windows ME? by grammar+nazi · · Score: 1
    Why would the send Windows *ME* into space?

    I'm fairly certain that they will continue to send DOS, *NIX, and WinNT OSes into space. NASA isn't dumb enough to believe that the 'multi-media enhancements' that WinME add over Win98 justify purchasing it for the shuttle.

    Perhaps they will get WinXP when it comes out, but I'm not sure how the '30 Days to install' rule applies when you orbit the earth in less than an hour. Does this mean that they only have 30 hours to install WinXP? That's less than the length of one mission and I'm not sure if they can download a new license from up in space.

    --

    Keeping /. free of grammatical errors for ~5 years.
  5. Re:9-Hour EVA by microft_the_terible · · Score: 1

    I believe that they do have a urine elimination system in the suit. But that says nothing for takeing a crap... -Love all computers (Especially ones running Linux)...

  6. Not to nit-pick by microft_the_terible · · Score: 1

    but the EVA was officially timed at 8-hours and 56-minutes. Not exactly 9 hours, and for the last two they were in the airlock, where they could plug into shuttle systems.

  7. Some other possible ways must exist by ishrat · · Score: 1
    "..a 12-inch, 12-pound clamp broke free and floated off into space. The newest piece of space junk will be tracked by NASA and is expected to re-enter the orbit, although it is not clear when or where."

    Why can't they simply create a strong electro-magnetic field (or some other magnetic field) around the space craft so as to stop things from just drifting away into space?

    --

    There's always sufficient, but not always at the right place nor for the right folks.

  8. Re:9-Hour EVA by Soft · · Score: 1
    So they spent the last two hours in the airlock, they were still in the suits and unable to deal with such niceties as food or potty breaks.

    Actually, everything is planned for; see NASA's FAQs about extravehicular activity ("spacewalking") and extravehicular mobility units ("spacesuits").

  9. It's somewhat academic by Soft · · Score: 3
    The duration of the EVA is measured from the time the spacewalkers switch their suits to battery power and become autonomous, to the time they start repressurizing the airlock.

    In this case, it lasted almost nine hours; but the last two were spent inside the airlock, back on Shuttle power and oxygen. The point was they had to be ready, should help be required in moving the PMA-3 Shuttle docking port. As in turned out, there was a problem which took time to solve. Help from the spacewalkers was eventually not needed, but that's why they spent so much time standing by in the depressurized airlock.

    See the Spaceflight Now story for details.

  10. 9-Hour EVA by ddillman · · Score: 2

    Can you imagine spending 9 hours in one of those suits?! They can't be all that comfortable.

    So they spent the last two hours in the airlock, they were still in the suits and unable to deal with such niceties as food or potty breaks. About halfway through, I'd get really hungry for some nice solid food and a beverage or two. And the sanitary facilities.... Sheesh! Better go before you get dressed!

    --
    Little girls, like butterflies, need no excuse. -- L. Long
    1. Re:9-Hour EVA by Gyl · · Score: 1
      Each EMU [space suit] has two oxygen tanks (similar to scuba diving tanks) that work with a carbon dioxide removal system to allow a 6 to 8.5 hour spacewalk. -From the web site mentioned in the parent.

      So, the suit has oxygen for 8.5 hours, (the web site also said battery power and whatever else was designed to be able to last that long), how did they stay out 9 hours?

      Maybe in those last two hours in airlock they got some stuff replenished, I'm not sure, but it sounds like they couldn't take off the suits until after.

  11. Re:sounds by Cheese_isgood · · Score: 1

    I hate the words of two people off topic!

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