Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

NASA Engineers Question ISS Safety

Posted by michael on from the in-the-event-of-a-water-landing dept.

Atryn writes "New Scientist is reporting concerns over deteriorating equipment on ISS. ISS will celebrate another anniversary on Nov 2 marking its 3rd complete year. This story was also covered on CNN International and covered on Space.com."

7 of 247 comments (clear)

  1. They just don't make em like they use to.... by reality-bytes · · Score: 5, Funny

    Good grief, safety concerns over equipment after just three years!

    Its not like back in my day (Mir era) - All they had to do back then to keep things ship-shape was to put a coin in the meter and remember to wind up the master computer every day.....

    --
    Ripping an new rectum in the fabric of spacetime.
  2. Odd... by hookedup · · Score: 5, Insightful

    The Washington Post reported Thursday, however, that two officials overseeing health and environmental conditions on the space station didn't sign off on the launch, instead signing a dissent that warned about ``the continued degradation'' of the environmental monitoring and health maintenance systems and exercise equipment vital to the astronauts' well being.

    Shouldnt these people _have_ to agree that it's safe in order for it to keep operating? They, after all, are the "officials overseeing health and environmental conditions". Who has to say 'yes' or 'no' and have it mean something?

  3. I don't know what's so shocking... by Not_Wiggins · · Score: 5, Insightful

    *Any* complex machinery/construction/whatever is going to need maintenance over time. What I find irritating isn't so much that NASA thinks pieces need to be replaced, but the public's reaction to such news. "What?!? You want more of my money to *repair* the darn thing before it is done being built?"

    Just because it is in space things doesn't mean things won't wear out. This isn't the Star Trek Universe.

    Although, it should be interesting to see how the need for maintenance will affect the development of the spacestation. Sometimes it seems like it was projected based purely on a "best-case" scenario (ie, everything works right the first time and works right until all the work is done).

    I'd like to see how this impacts projected missions to the ISS... if they don't step up the number (of missions), will this lead to an escalating decay in productivity (ie, every flight will be just to bring repair parts for what has been built already?).

    --
    Diplomacy is the art of saying, "Nice doggie!" until you can find a rock.
  4. How Safety works. by mumblestheclown · · Score: 5, Interesting
    1. Something gets designed and deployed
    2. For each time interval from initial design to infinity, some engineer is complaining that it's not safe enough and that a more expensive solution or complete redesign is necessary.
    3. For each complaint, managers, who are not technically illiterate, but not as "into it" as the engineers, need to evaluate risk based on imperfect information.
    4. Usually, system robustness and other factors dominate. the system is just fine. the engineer's complaints fade into obscurity, even though "deep down" the engineer knows he was right.
    5. But, occasionally, something goes wrong. Instantly, the managers become know-nothing literature-major innumerate MBAs. The engineer who picked the "winning" flaw gains fame.
    6. Therefore, claiming that something will go wrong with the ISS is a good way as any to win the lottery.
    7. The problem MUST be that managers are unschooled in dynamic systems theory, right? Because they don't understand complexity, probability, and risk---right?
    8. But wait, that's wrong! Today's managers ARE trained in those things - i mean, that is the very basis of being a technical manager today! what's the problem then?
    9. could it be that the engineers are trained in engineering and don't know how to effectively communicate and QUANTIFY their risk assessments? nobody at /. will agree to this, but imho, that view is easily at least half right.
  5. Where did Velcro come from? by afniv · · Score: 5, Informative

    Although the space industry has developed countless technologies used in everyday (and not so everyday) life, Velcro and Tang are not among them.

    Velcro history

    To see real space based technologies hop over to a this NASA site.

    --
    ~afniv
    "Man könnte froh sein, wenn die Luft so rein wäre wie das Bier"
    Richard von Weizs
  6. A few more links by aengblom · · Score: 5, Interesting

    I always find it interesting when Slashdot links to everyone, but the actual source. The Washington Post, which broke the story has an article as well as a followup on how the ISS crew reacted to the news. The reporter also gave an interview.

    --


    So close and yet so far from the world's perfect ID number
  7. Re:Rotates for Artificial Gravity by DanielRavenNest · · Score: 5, Informative

    As I write, I'm in the computer lab where we're
    testing the software for the "Centrifuge Module",
    which is in the queue to be attached to the
    station eventually. The centrifuge will be
    able to spin lab animals at various levels of
    gravity so that we can learn what happens to
    them beween 0 and 1 gee.

    So far we know that at 1 gee, everything is
    normal, and at zero gee your body figures it
    doesn't need bones anymore, so they atrophy.
    What we need to find out is what happens at
    1/6 gee (Moon), 0.38 gee (Mars), and various
    levels of gravity up to 1 gee spinning (because
    that might be different in its effects than
    1 gee not spinning here on Earth).

    With this knowledge we will have some idea
    how to design for lunar bases, mars bases,
    and long duration travel (mars and asteroids).

    Daniel