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Astronauts Pull Off Risky Spacewalk

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the insist-on-redundant-backups- dept.

dylanduck writes "A pair of NASA astronauts overcame an issue with a loose jet pack to make crucial repairs to the International Space Station, according to a story on New Scientist Space. No jet pack means not getting home if you inadvertently push yourself away from the space station and into space. That's a long goodbye that doesn't bear thinking about."

2 of 220 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Rope to the rescue! by Usquebaugh · · Score: 0, Flamebait

    Are you nuts. Do you know how much money we have to spend at NASA to make it sound like we actually do something? Piece of rope indeed. Listen bud, we gotta have the most expensive stuff or else everybody will think we ain't the best. It's not a pretty world out there, everybody is getting in on the space game, we have to raise our costs just to have a chance of looking competent.

    Of course back in the 50s it was a different time you know, it was a different time.

  2. Re:not _that_ risky by Radak · · Score: 0, Flamebait
    The act of launching into space in a gigantic 22 year old space shuttle protected by ceramic tiles sounds pretty risky on its own.
    Do you ever fly on commercial jetliners? If so, you're probably fairly regularly riding on 25+ year old aircraft which are subject to much MUCH less maintenance and scrutiny than the space shuttle orbiters are.

    If you slowly push away from the space station, you won't keep moving away from it in a straight line, because you and the space station are both orbiting the earth. In 46 minutes or so you may find yourself passing by it again.
    Oh now I understand. You're an idiot.