It is quite common to convert POUNDS to KILOGRAMS assuming a "1G" environment. So when they talk about "pounds" on the ISS them simply mean the amount of mass that would weigh "1 pound" in 1g (on earth). People just don't go around saying "pound-mass".
It's true that the station itself is an "Experiment" to some extent and that they learn a lot from the failures. But they never sit around wondering why they are up there, they have more "real" experiments to do than they have time for.
Besides, learning that something got stuck on the seal before they connected the two segments would hardly be a valuable scientific discovery. That would be like notifying Goodyear that their tires go flat when you drive over a nail! duh!!
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It is quite common to convert POUNDS to KILOGRAMS assuming a "1G" environment. So when they talk about "pounds" on the ISS them simply mean the amount of mass that would weigh "1 pound" in 1g (on earth). People just don't go around saying "pound-mass".
It's true that the station itself is an "Experiment" to some extent and that they learn a lot from the failures. But they never sit around wondering why they are up there, they have more "real" experiments to do than they have time for. Besides, learning that something got stuck on the seal before they connected the two segments would hardly be a valuable scientific discovery. That would be like notifying Goodyear that their tires go flat when you drive over a nail! duh!!