Two NASA spacewalkers today are celebrating their successful installation of a spare coolant pump on the International Space Station. "Game Over!!" read handwritten notes strapped to spacewalker Doug Wheelock's wrist after he completed his last major task.
Wheelock held his wrist in front of his helmet camera so mission controllers could read it. The notes included thanks to one of his trainers on the ground.
Assisted by Tracy Caldwell Dyson, Wheelock had finished attaching four lines to the newly installed ammonia pump module, and ammonia is flowing freely through them into the pump module. No leaks were seen. Officials on the ground earlier reported that electrical connections were sound, pressures were at proper levels and a motor's drive shaft turned at the right speed.
With the new pump module in place, NASA managers can begin a several-day process to restore one of two ammonia coolant loops serving the U.S. section of the station, which has been down since another pump failed July 31.
Wheelock and Caldwell Dyson may have enough time left to tackle an unrelated task that is required before shuttle Discovery's planned arrival in November.
A power extension cable must be routed from the Quest airlock to the Earth-facing side of the Unity node to eliminate interference that would hinder the shuttle crew from installing a new module. The job expected to take about 45 minutes.
3 comments:
What happens next time the pump needs to be replaced? Will we have to abandon the ISS, just as we finish it?
Good question. But fortunately, the situation isn't quite that dire. The station has three more spare pump modules ready to go if additional failures occur, with no immediate plans to add any more spares. Hopefully, they'll last a long time.
My bet is that they send a new one or a refurbished one up on the last flight, I'm sure they are already working on it.
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