Minor Leak Being Investigated Aboard the ISS

Josh Fink writes "Space.com is reporting that the International Space Station has a minor atmosphere leak. 'An inspection of a vestibule bridging the station's new Harmony connecting module and NASA's Destiny laboratory indicated a slight air leak of about three pounds (1.3 kilograms) per day ..A close-up inspection of the vestibule seal by the station's three-astronaut Expedition 16 crew using an ultrasonic leak detector found no trace of a leak on Wednesday, [NASA spokesperson Lynette Madison] said. Studies of the station's overall internal pressure also found no signs of decay, she added.' While this is yet another technical issue with the ISS, when will this end? I am all for the space program, but there have been some major issues lately."

Comments

ultrasonic leak detector?

[Anonymous Monkey]

Just wondering, but did a blue box show up on the IIS?

Re:ultrasonic leak detector?

[turgid]

What's wrong with a bowl of water and a drop of washing-up liquid?

I Agree!

[Anonymous Coward]

It's like, when I drive to Dallas to Houston I don't have any problems. But when NASA tries to build a space station in orbit stuff goes wrong!

What is up with that?

Re:I Agree!

[Hatta]

I guess you don't have out of state plates then.

Gotta take a leak

[Anonymous Coward]

where are those astronaut diapers when ya need them?/

Mike Holmes solution

[Anonymous Coward]

just spray-foam it.

Cues

[Bearpaw]

Cue human missions vs automated missions debate.

Cue government space programs vs private space programs debate.

(At least the breathing oxygen vs breathing vacuum debate would be short.)

Re:these problems are the reason we need ISS

[Anonymous Coward]

I know you guys are working with a neutered budget, but that doesn't mean they had to pawn off your [shift] key. That was totally lame on their part.

Movie-inspired salvation

[Lurker2288]

I totally saw this in a movie once. All they need to do is open a prominently featured can of Dr. Pepper and let the soda spraying out through the hull show them where the leak is. Caveat: this plan carries a small risk of vaccuum-freezing Tim Robbins.

Re:Movie-inspired salvation

[Anonymous Coward]

I don't get it. What's the caveat?

Let's give up on all research.

[palegray.net]

Quoth the poster: While this is yet another technical issue with the ISS, when will this end? I am all for the space program, but there have been some major issues lately.

Yet another round of bugs were discovered in several major operating systems and userland packages. I'm all for operating systems, user software, and advances in computing technology. but there have been some major issues lately. I vote we give up and go back to the abacus and using smoke signals to communicate.

Re:Pound != 0.454 Kilogram on the ISS

[Anonymous Coward]

You sir are technically correct. The best kind of correct.

Re:Comes with the territory

[fahrbot-bot]

KERMIt, a "Kit for External Repair of Module Impacts", is one of those simple systems being developed at Marshall Research to seal punctures in the ISS.

The kit contains foil and a pack of Tropical Fruit Bubbalicious...

Re:Pound != 0.454 Kilogram on the ISS

[Detritus]

It's about 0.1 slugs of air per day, or 6.6 stone per fortnight. Are you happy now?

Re:these problems are the reason we need ISS

[popo]

I thought I issued a company-wide memo about NASA employees surfing Slashdot during work-hours.

Please come down to my office right away.

Not to worry....

[Radical Moderate]

Once the air level drops below the hole, they'll fix it no problem.

Re:Comes with the territory

[iminplaya]

"Damn perfectionist." :-)

The Wright brothers weren't spending my tax dollars on their experiments.

Damn! You ARE old.