Discovery's astronauts and the crew of the International Space Station are beaming back photos of the torn solar blanket and video of the actual deployment so engineers can determine a prudent course of action.
The photos show that several of the blankets in the middle of the array are a bit bunched and rippled, an indication that damage might be more extensive that the just the tear.
The P6 array truss was launched to the station in December 2000 on STS-97. It is one of four sets of massive American solar wings that the U.S. is providing as prime power-generator at the station. Two of the other sets of solar wings already are at the station. One set remains to be launched in the fall of 2008.
The single starboard wing set was placed in a stationary position Sunday after metal shavings were found in a joint that turns the wings like a Ferris wheel, enabling them to constantly track the sun and maximize electrical output.
The P6 truss has two wings, one dubbed 2B and the other known as 4B. Both arrays are designed to generate a total of about 50 kilowatts of usable power.
The 2B array deployed normally today. The 4B array is the one that ripped.
It was the 2B array that hung up during initial deployment on the STS-97 mission. The 4B array deployed normally in that case.
Both arrays proved difficult to retract during shuttle missions last December and in June.
The arrays were folded back up into blanket boxes in preparation for a move from the initial mounting point for the P6 truss -- a base atop the U.S. Unity module, where it provided the prime power source for the station during the early stages of station assembly. The truss was moved out to the far left end of the station's central truss -- its permanent position -- over the course of the last three days.
Background information on the P6 truss and its arrays is here in the official NASA STS-97 Press Kit: STS-97%20Press%20Kit.pdf.
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