ISS hit by cooling fault

Both the on and off-board crew of the International Space Station have been working hard all weekend to fix a very serious cooling fault. NASA stress the crew are not in any danger, however attempts to fix the fault have, so far, proved unsuccessful. A spacewalk has been given the go-ahead for Thursday.

Saturday evening saw one of the two ammonia-fed cooling loops/pumps shut down in the International Space Station (ISS). These pumps keep the on-board electronic equipment cool. With half the cooling system shut down –the alarm was raised and panic stations ensued, as without thermal controls, temperatures on the station can reach up to 121C (the sun-facing side) and drop as low as -157C (dark side).

NASA today have revealed that it will take at least two speacewalks to swap the failed Pump Module and the first is scheduled to take place this Thursday – with Tracy Dyson and Douglas Wheelock. A second walk may follow 2-3 days later. There are not currently any shuttle visits planned to the ISS until November.

Boeing have cited the ISS as “the largest, most complex international scientific project in history and our largest adventure into space to date”. For further information – please visit NASA’s official site http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/main/index.html or view ISS on board www.projectsmagazine.eu.com/video/international_space_station

Published: Monday, 2nd August 2010 by Adelle Kehoe