Slashdot Mirror
Trouble on the International Space Station
lewiz writes "The BBC News website has an article that explains the International Space Station has run into troubles due to one of four gyroscopes breaking down. They say while this is a serious problem it will not have any massive effect but it will have to be replaced quickly as the gyroscopes stabilise and control the flight."
supposed to be redundant failsafe?
fp
NASA tries to spin the lack of spin. There's just something wrong about this...
... The future continues to fail to live up to
the hype.
So the ISS is still having problems. Big suprise
there. Such a wonderful idea, a shame they've
had so many set backs and problems.
Where's my damn flying car already.
The In Space, No One Knows You Read Vogue story, just two posts ago, had the supermodel report which seemed to already cover this.:
They also reported a loud, growling noise inside the space station. It turned out to be a broken gyroscope that was commanded to spin down and then shut down. One of the bearings apparently seized up.
NASA said the other gyroscopes were working fine and that the failure would not affect the station's navigation and control. But the bad unit will need to be replaced, and the soonest that can happen is early next year.
I.O.U One Sig.
Let's get the models up there to fix it.
I believe that the existence of women is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy
I wonder if they'll have the Russians fly up the replacement if their rockets can handle something so big and heavy. They didn't seem to indicate that they even have spares ready, but I would assume they do.
Intelligent Life on Earth
Let's try these models instead.
I believe that the existence of women is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy
So it looks like Mir wasn't so bad after all. How long before the solar panels get knocked ou ;-)
Jumpstart the tartan drive.
We know that it took them 5 tries to build the Babylon space station, so really, still being on the first one here is pretty good. As long as the first few aren't sabotaged, and the fourth one isn't taken back in time, we're all good.
Of course, maybe it would help if we had some of that fancy Vorlon technology, but I suppose Canadians are kinda mysterious and frozen like them, so that's close enough.
we get signal
you are on your way to destruction
you have no chance to survive make your time
At this point they would be a class one security hazard.
If you're going to allow supermodels into a space station full of extremely horny astronouts, you'd better have five fully functioning gyroscopes.
"I have opinions of my own, strong opinions, but I don't always agree with them." -- George H. W. Bush
As usual, spaceflightnow.com and space.com have better articles with more detail. These sites usually have space/shuttle/station information up very quickly so I tend to rely on them more.
Planetes
"One World, One Web, One Program" - Microsoft Promo Ad
"Ein Volk, Ein Reich, Ein Fuhrer" - Adolf Hitl
while watching nasa TV the crew on the station where wondering wot was a wierd grinding noise was and the ppl on the ground was saying it was a faulty gyro (the one talked about on the bbc site) spinning down I think they can live on @ least 2 of these things
This was actually already posted today in the supermodels in space bit. Please guys, at least try to read the articles.
I love this part
;-)
What to bring:
# Plenty of cash - exhibitors might not accept credit cards on site
So a bunch of skinny, weak computer geeks running around with plenty of cash in their pockets... Anyone want to go pickpocketing?
Don't Tread on Me
failing gyroscope
nasa transmits dance lessons
breakdancing spacemen spin
Treatment, not tyranny. End the drug war and free our American POWs.
See my user info for links.
It failed 1-2 moths after the warranty has ended?
"It's too bad that stupidity isn't painful." - Anton LaVey
< evil grin >
This could mean the end of Lance Bass and the Back Street Boys.
MUh ha ha ha ha!!
... read the friggen article.
Of course they are redundant. Two are necessary to control the orientation of the station w/o using propellent. Plus, the station can operate just fine with none, by using thruster firings to adjust its orientation.
Surely mission-critical systems such as the stabalizing gyroscopes should each have at least one failsafe? If not I can't see this being very good planning.
design a space station using the doughnut shape? That way, they could kill two birds with one stone; spin the station to create artificial gravity and achieve gyroscopic stability. (That way, you don't really need discreet gyros)
It's a nice staion but should be used to build a better station. Put manufacturing capabilities on it and let's move forward.
Codifex Maximus ~ In search of... a shorter sig.
I understand hardware will fail which is fine if wasn't due to negligence; what isn't fine though is the apparent lack of preparedness in handling the resolution of this situation.
First, why did such a critical device fail so soon on the space station? I only ask that because it just seems like the more expensive a device is for the space shuttle or the space station the more easily it will fail. Does the level of criticality coincide with the level of fragility?
Second, doesn't it bother anyone else that it may take up to a year to replace the one failed gyroscope? NASA has to make room on a future space shuttle mission in order to fly the replacement gyroscope up, fine I say, but I don't think that's the whole story as to why I will take so long to replace. NASA shouldn't be using the excuse that it would delay experiments or completion of the space station. The safety of the ISS crew is more important than getting some experiements completed.
I think the issue should be why is NASA classifying this problem as low priority? Maybe NASA has done its risk analysis on the problem which would be fine except that there seems to be no oversight of the decision process.
When it absolutely, positively has to be there overnight...
I should have been a country-western singer. After all, I'm older than most western countries. -- George Burns I am pressed for time, so I only refreshed my Fortune Website 10 or so times in the humorist category.
You can't judge a book by the way it wears its hair.
When I was an intern in a company building satellites and rockets, local gurus told me that gyroscopes, with all their complex pieces moving fast, are the most failure-prone part of most satellites, and that's the reason why they usually have 4 gyros while only 3 are needed for normal operation, and 2 are enough for "degraded mode".
Now one gyroscope of the ISS is out: granted, it's a bit early, but it is also a bit early to worry about the ISS's future. Remember Hubble: at the beginning, it sounded like the mission would be a complete failure... In the end, Hubble could be repaired, and it is now considered a complete success. Don't be too hasty when bashing space missions: this IS rocket science after all.
I forgot a br tag. Slashdot should allow pre tags, and MSIE should work with pre tags!
You can't judge a book by the way it wears its hair.
Space Propulsion Engine for Flying Saucer - New Physics
Rumor in Silicon Valley -
Inventor of 3D volume holographic optical storage
shopping his concept for Space Propulsion Engine
using Propellantless Mass to US and other countries.
for further look at biography background goto
"http://colossalstorage.net/colossal.htm"
He says he has researched all propulsion concepts at NASA, Lockheed,
Europe, Asia, and Russian Space Agencies and knows their technology
but he laughs when he thinks how well his technology will do next to
the present technology, there is no earthly comparison !
He is working in top secret and he says no physicist or scientist
he has ever studied or researched had this approach and knows his
concept will work to give near light speed travel thru Galaxy with
500K/Miles per Hour to start or 138 miles/sec. Nasa fastest time
are 25,000 mile/hr or 3.9 miles/sec
He says it is a mankind first concept !!
Regardless of how the station is shaped, the easiest way to maneuver it is electrically.
That's right, I said electrically. The power can then come from a nuclear reactor or solar panels instead of having to ship tonnes of fuel into earth orbit.
If you need to move from side to side, or reach a higher or lower orbit, you simply speed up or brake the appropriate gyros and reaction wheels. Force vectors are transferred and the station moves.
If you don't understand, try this: Go to the local playground, and sit on a swing. Pick your feet up off the ground (DON'T touch the ground!) and start swinging. Lookee thar ma, you are transferring energy from your muscles into the swing - simply by moving your center of gravity around!
How come this is a big deal, anyway, when we've nearly lost the Hubble four times due to multiple gyro failures and nobody cared? The Hubble's more important than the ISS at this point (might change if the ISS fulfills its' promise).
--Charlie
Gyro or power failures can be very serious because they are essential for keeping the solar panels pointed in the correct direction for power generation and for keeping the station from tumbling.
Every once in a while power would be lost and Mir and all of the gyros would completely spin down.
Off The Planet
Dragonfly: Nasa and the Crisis Aboard Mir
They also reported a loud, growling noise inside the space station. It turned out to be a broken gyroscope that was commanded to spin down and then shut down. One of the bearings apparently seized up.
I wonder if they use FDBs like they do in modern HDDs, it seems to me that they wouldn't freeze up that easily.
Arrite, which idiot uploaded Cyc onto their systems?? :-P
"I'm sorry Dave, but I can't let you do that."
--pi
http://liftoff.msfc.nasa.gov/temp/StationLoc.html
Why can't the astronauts just wind a string around the pole in the middle of the gyroscope and pull on it really fast? That always did the trick when my gyroscope stopped working when I was a kid.
The pilot is available on DVD. The disc also comes with retrospective ep 'The Beginning' in widescreen format (the pilot is in Full Screen only).
Work for Change & GET PAID!