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Astronauts Successfully Install Parking Spot At ISS (phys.org)

Posted by BeauHD on from the ready-for-private-corporations dept.

An anonymous reader quotes a report from Phys.Org: With more private spaceship traffic expected at the International Space Station in the coming years, two U.S. astronauts embarked on a spacewalk Friday to install a special parking spot for them. Americans Jeff Williams and Kate Rubins switched their spacesuits to internal battery power at 8:04 (1204 GMT) and floated outside the orbiting laboratory to begin the work of attaching the first of two international docking adaptors. The spacewalkers finished the task in just over two hours. "With that, we have a new port of call," said NASA commentator Rob Navias, as the space station flew over Singapore at 10:40 am (1440 GMT). NASA describes the docking adaptor as a "metaphorical gateway to a future" that will allow a new generation of U.S. spacecraft -- the first since the space shuttle program ended in 2011 -- to carry astronauts to the space station. The second docking adaptor is expected to be installed in 2018. Built by Boeing, the circular adaptor measures around 42 inches (one meter) tall and about 63 inches wide. The adaptors will work with Boeing's CST-100 Starliner and SpaceX's Crew Dragon, two spaceships under construction that are planned to ferry astronauts to the space station. The docking adaptor is more sophisticated than past equipment because it will allow automatic parking instead of the current grapple and berthing process, which is managed by astronauts.

45 comments

  1. Waste of money by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Interesting

    This is a waste of money. There are plans to decommission parts of the ISS in the pretty near future. Why do this for something that's not going to be around all that much longer?

    1. Re:Waste of money by jIyajbe · · Score: 4, Insightful

      To learn how to do it for the next space station. To learn what works well, what works poorly, and what doesn't work at all.

      And perhaps this capability will extend the life of this station.

      --
      "Don't blame the log for the fire." --Andrew Ratshin
    2. Re:Waste of money by Dutch+Gun · · Score: 1, Troll

      This is a waste of money. There are plans to decommission parts of the ISS in the pretty near future. Why do this for something that's not going to be around all that much longer?

      Why? Just to piss off humbugs like you. Totally worth every penny.

      --
      Irony: Agile development has too much intertia to be abandoned now.
    3. Re:Waste of money by ArmoredDragon · · Score: 1

      Is there even a successor to ISS planned?

    4. Re:Waste of money by PolygamousRanchKid+ · · Score: 5, Funny

      Is there even a successor to ISS planned?

      Sure there is . . . the Chinese are working on it already: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...

      Maybe the Chinese will rent out rooms on it on Airbnb . . . ?

      --
      Schroedinger's Brexit: The UK is both in and out of the EU at the same time!
    5. Re:Waste of money by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Why would they? They can keep the costs down enough to not have to share it with anyone else.

    6. Re:Waste of money by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It seems pretty unlikely that it will be decommissioned in the next 10 years (current plans are until at least 2024, possibly past 2028). Why not eek out another decades use for as cheaply as possible (COTS, CCDEV, etc). Its a $150 Billion space station, might a well make use of it.

    7. Re:Waste of money by Applehu+Akbar · · Score: 1

      Is there even a successor to ISS planned?

      If we sell ISS on decommissioning it, then there will be.

    8. Re:Waste of money by murdocj · · Score: 1

      Amazing how the Chinese are planning to do everything.

    9. Re:Waste of money by Gavagai80 · · Score: 1

      Clicking your link, it says their space station is similar to Mir except with much shorter stays. It does not have capabilities or size remotely comparable to the ISS.

      --
      This space intentionally left blank
    10. Re:Waste of money by Intron · · Score: 1

      This is a waste of money. There are plans to decommission parts of the ISS in the pretty near future. Why do this for something that's not going to be around all that much longer?

      They are required to add a handicapped spot.

      --
      Intron: the portion of DNA which expresses nothing useful.
    11. Re:Waste of money by LordHighExecutioner · · Score: 1

      It isn't: the parking spot costs 1 USD/hr to use, with 24h forfait available. With some careful advertising and by adding other amenities (it seems that a new location for the restaurant at the end of the universe will be opened there) NASA will soon get a good return from the investment.

    12. Re:Waste of money by K.+S.+Kyosuke · · Score: 1

      To make sure it works once you use it somewhere else. This new docking system is supposed to be the new international standard docking system

      --
      Ezekiel 23:20
  2. Success by hcs_$reboot · · Score: 1

    But given how many times they repeat the procedure on Earth before doing the real thing... It may be even easier to do it in space!

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  3. I have this creepy feeling of Deja Vu . . . by PolygamousRanchKid+ · · Score: 0

    Oh, yeah: https://news.slashdot.org/stor...

    --
    Schroedinger's Brexit: The UK is both in and out of the EU at the same time!
    1. Re: I have this creepy feeling of Deja Vu . . . by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Umm... One story said that the parking spot was going to be installed, this one says it has been installed successfully. It's not a dupe.

    2. Re:I have this creepy feeling of Deja Vu . . . by drinkypoo · · Score: 1

      Is this the new std_troll? Claiming there was a dupe when the current story is about a thing having happened, and the prior story was about the thing about to happen?

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
    3. Re:I have this creepy feeling of Deja Vu . . . by PolygamousRanchKid+ · · Score: 2

      The comments here are the same as the old article. As a school teacher would say, compare and contrast.

      We are going to do this.

      Why, is it worth it?"

      We did this.

      Why, is it worth it?"

      The about to happen/did happen is irrelevant to the content of the comments. We're basically discussing the same stuff that we did a couple of days ago.

      --
      Schroedinger's Brexit: The UK is both in and out of the EU at the same time!
    4. Re:I have this creepy feeling of Deja Vu . . . by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      So it is not that the story is a dupe, but that the comments are dupes of comments from the last time something similar was discussed. Gotcha.

  4. Why breath? by joh · · Score: 1, Troll

    You won't be around much longer anyway.

    1. Re:Why breath? by St.Creed · · Score: 1

      Well done sir! It's not often I see a "+2, Troll" score :)

      --
      Therefore, by the (faulty) logic you're using, you're just a cow with a keyboard - osu-neko (2604)
  5. How long before ... by Alain+Williams · · Score: 1

    there will be a parking warden hovering to check if someone has overstayed by 5 minutes and pounce to hand out a ticket. Those pains in the ass are everywhere!

    1. Re:How long before ... by Calydor · · Score: 2

      Man, I would hate getting a parking ticket in space.

      I bet the fine is astronomical.

      --
      -=This sig has nothing to do with my comment. Move along now=-
    2. Re:How long before ... by dwywit · · Score: 1

      Ba dum - tish!

      I've run out of mod points.

      --
      They sentenced me to twenty years of boredom
    3. Re:How long before ... by Applehu+Akbar · · Score: 1

      there will be a parking warden hovering to check if someone has overstayed by 5 minutes and pounce to hand out a ticket. Those pains in the ass are everywhere!

      This is in the plans for the new British module.

    4. Re:How long before ... by K.+S.+Kyosuke · · Score: 1

      "Your fine is six Ningi."

      --
      Ezekiel 23:20
  6. It's Important To Have Observers In Space by alternative_right · · Score: 0

    That way, they can watch the collapse of human civilization in real time, and leave behind cryptic scribblings for future alien visitors to decode and see where we went wrong.

    --
    Alternative Right.
  7. Circular? by Dr.+Spork · · Score: 1

    ...the circular adaptor measures around 42 inches (one meter) tall and about 63 inches wide

    Wow, circular things didn't used to be like this.

    1. Re:Circular? by bruce_the_loon · · Score: 1

      Cylinders always did.

      --
      Trying to become famous by taking photos. Visit my homepage please.
    2. Re:Circular? by rossdee · · Score: 2

      "42 inches (one meter) "

      And 1 meter used to be 39.37 inches

    3. Re:Circular? by PolygamousRanchKid+ · · Score: 2

      "42 inches (one meter) "

      And 1 meter used to be 39.37 inches

      Conversion factors are different on Earth and in Space. It's got something to do with relativity.

      I think.

      --
      Schroedinger's Brexit: The UK is both in and out of the EU at the same time!
    4. Re:Circular? by NEDHead · · Score: 2

      That's a stretch

    5. Re:Circular? by TimSSG · · Score: 1

      "42 inches (one meter) "

      And 1 meter used to be 39.37 inches

      I thought it was 39.36 inches; but, its 39.37007874 inch. I also thought it was a 4 digit exact value. Did it change? If so, when? Tim S.

    6. Re:Circular? by MightyYar · · Score: 4, Informative

      An inch is defined as exactly 25.4mm, based on the yard being defined as exactly 0.9144 meters.

      --
      W..w..W - Willy Waterloo washes Warren Wiggins who is washing Waldo Woo.
    7. Re:Circular? by St.Creed · · Score: 1

      Zing! nice one.

      --
      Therefore, by the (faulty) logic you're using, you're just a cow with a keyboard - osu-neko (2604)
    8. Re:Circular? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      ...the circular adaptor measures around 42 inches (one meter) tall and about 63 inches wide

      Wow, circular things didn't used to be like this.

      We used to describe that as an oval, but the Millennials said it was unfair...

    9. Re:Circular? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Inch was secretly decreased in 2010 by LCD manufacturers..

  8. Comment removed by account_deleted · · Score: 1

    Comment removed based on user account deletion

  9. Parking spaces by Alomex · · Score: 2

    I'm glad the headline simplified docking ports to parking spaces, as otherwise I would not have understood what it meant.... Now, where are my crayons, I have a Sarah Palin show that I need to watch.

    1. Re:Parking spaces by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Please feed me more propaganda to make me feel like NASA has a budget

  10. Blue Danube by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    It should play the Blue Danube while docking.

  11. Yeah, sure by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I can see this "International Space Station" from my viewing location on the surface of the Earth when i am, like, 20 degrees into the night.

    This is not consistent with a bunch of reflective tubes and panels @400 km over the surface shining sunlight back to me. Or moonlight. Or city light.

  12. parking meters by renegade600 · · Score: 1

    I wonder if they got the parking meters installed too ;-)

  13. Parking? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    So do I have to call ahead to see if the space is available before I drive my RV there, or do I just have to pull up and hope it's available?