Slashdot Mirror
Chemical Leak on ISS
Random Utinni writes "It looks like the Russian Elektron system on the ISS may be causing problems again. Today the crew discovered potassium hydroxide leaking into the space station. This comes right after delivery of new ISS components and right before the arrival of a new crew and first female space tourist."
one has to admire their quiet selfless heroism
Quiet? OK, I guess. Heroism? Certainly courage, anyway. Selfless? Why toss that word out there? It doesn't mean anything in this context. They have a completely selfish reason to work through this problem gracefully: survival, and some lessening of their discomfort while this thing gets mopped up. What choice do they have? They (themselves) chose to get involved with the program each for their own reasons. This is the sort of risk they knew they'd face, and they're carrying on with some quality stoicism, here, not martyrdom or an abandonment of themselves in face of some difficulty. There are thousands of people who would jump at the chance to do exactly what those folks are doing - and "selflessness" has got nothing to do with it.
Don't disappoint your bird dog. Go to the range.
If falling perpetually at 17000 miles per hour is so easy, lets see you do it!
I already am - far faster in fact. So are you. That is the Earth's orbital velocity around the Sun.
Consider these. Supply missions and such have to achieve this velocity, too.
Yes, but that is their problem, not the space station's. Now it has this velocity, it is relatively stable.
There is a lot of manmade debris, not to mention natural hazards.
Yes, but not much physical stress.
Orbiting the Earth is not a simple groove in which the ISS slides by day in and day out.
Actually, that is precisely what it is! It requires very little energy to maintain.
Orbit is a carefully calculated and obsessively maintained state of teetering on escape from gravity and orbital collapse into the atmosphere; thus, the orbit is a stressful, chaotic, dangerous and relatively unpredictable state for a floating flophouse.
No, it isn't. It is very predictable indeed; so predictable it can be used for some of the finest measurements. Orbits are not a fine balance. Once in orbit, it is very hard to remove something from it. Put lots of energy in an you simply change the dimensions of the orbit - it certainly is nothing like 'teetering on escape from gravity' - that would require phenomenal energy input, as would a quick collapse of orbit. The only problem is a slow decay of orbit due to friction from the remnants of atmosphere at the altitude of the ISS.
Care to belittle the program a little more, doctor? Go ahead and make another comparison between standing on the earth and venturing into space.
I am not belittling the space program - I am a very enthusiastic supporter, and seem to be one of the few left who still think the ISS is a good idea.
What I object to is bad reporting of science.