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SPACE TRAVEL IS fraught with dangers and involves highly advanced technology so when electrical power in parts of the International Space Station are cut, it’s time to bring in the big guns.
Or so you’d think. In fact, the most recent technical problem in the space station was solved by astronauts with a simple toothbrush.
Astronauts succeeded in installing a critical power-switching box at the space station, reviving electrical systems after power to the orbiting lab was cut and a variety of equipment had to be turned off.
Engineers on the ground and the astronauts in orbit scrambled last weekend to devise makeshift tools to clean metal shavings from the socket of a troublesome bolt, after last week’s failed effort to plug in the new power-relay unit.
On Wednesday, NASA’s Sunita Williams and Japan’s Akihiko Hoshide armed with just a blue toothbrush, a wire brush and other jury-rigged tools, managed to fix the problem.
The two applied grease to the sticky bolt as well as extra pressure and plain old jiggling. They also brushed and blew away most if not all the metal shavings, debris that was discovered during last Thursday’s eight-hour extravaganza, one of the longest spacewalks on record. Wednesday’s outing lasted 6½ hours.
Although the space station remained stable, NASA was in a hurry to get the problem fixed because of the impending departure of the US astronaut who operated the hefty robot arm from inside, Joseph Acaba. He’s due to return to Earth in 1½ weeks.
Altogether, the space station has four of these power-switching units, which relay electricity from the eight solar wings. Being down one unit meant the orbiting complex could draw power from only six of those wings.
The power store was further degraded over the weekend when, in an unrelated problem, a tripped circuit breaker prevented full access to yet another solar panel. That left the space station running on just five wings, a vulnerable situation.
“It’s been like living on the set of Apollo 13 for the past few days,” said Mission Control, referring to the 1970 effort to save the three astronauts on the aborted moon mission. “NASA does impossible pretty darn well.”
As to how the vexing shavings ended up on the space station, the bolt was probably damaged when it was installed before launch, said NASA’s space station program manager, Mike Suffredini.
It will be a few days before electrical systems are restored 250 miles up. And NASA still must contend with the tripped breaker from last weekend; another spacewalk ultimately may be needed. The trouble knocked out one of the eight power channels emanating from the solar wings, a problem that persisted after Wednesday’s spacewalk.
“One channel down is not a position you want to be in, but it doesn’t send you into really worrying and having to rush out the door,” Suffredini said.
Wednesday’s spacewalk, meanwhile, earned Williams a place in history. The Navy captain — the lone woman on the crew — is now the world’s most experienced female spacewalker with 44 hours spent out in the vacuum over six excursions.
The previous record-holder, Peggy Whitson, sent up congratulations: “You go, girl!”
Williams replied: “Anybody could be in these boots.”
- Additional reporting by Michelle Hennessy
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I fully support compulsory retirement. It provides employment opportunities for young people, getting new ideas etc. into companies. Older people in jobs for 40 to 50 years are so set in their ways and most are unwilling to change.
@Christy McCarthy:
Obviously, you’re in the “I’m alright Jack ” camp, probably with a nice pension and can afford to retire.
Many can’t, especially if you were caught in your late forties in the last recession. Many people never recovered and are now in early sixties.
@Christy McCarthy: I take it Christy, life is good for you, and I sincerely hope it is, but this is not everyone’s position, why should age prevent the prospect of meeting the ability to provide for need, so many struggle with hidden poverty, forced unemployment will only add to this and you are wrong in putting older people in a collective ‘set in their ways and unwilling to change’, a recent study showed the reason most people resist change in an organisation is that change is badly managed at management level, so before you make assumptions, know the facts ,perhaps there is a new reality to ‘old’ age
@Christy McCarthy:
The more people, irrespective of age, in productive employment the better it is for the economy. Young people might have new ideas but not always sencible or workable.
@Christy McCarthy:
unwilling to change?… stupid talk. Older people are the ones that look for change in work. I work in a large multinational were some of the workforce are retiring this year, and they don’t want to. Those “older” people at least wont be ringing in sick on a Monday or messing about in work acting the fools causing accidents. I’ve have a bunch of older people in before a lot of the younger ones with their FB profiles..
@Christy McCarthy: 60 is the new 40 or haven’t you heard ?
@Christy McCarthy: the human race is on a quest for immortality and when that happens there will be no retirement age. However jobs are unlikely anyway as they are already being replaced by AI at an alarming rate. What will humans do then?
A work ethic is hopefully what we are all proud of. Living longer and healthier allows us all to work for as long as we wish to. We will all know when it’s time to rest up but shouldn’t be pushed in to retiring from any job you have that your still capable of. Reducing hours by choice could be feasible. Age should not be a barrier to anything. Don’t disarm our older older generations their experiences is an asset !
@smudge: ‘Age should not be a barrier to anything’ Tell that to Mother Nature. I’m sure sites will be now be clogged with 70yr old plus bocklayers and labourers, or maybe not.
@smudge:
I agree with the sentiment, my own father worked until 77 but then I also know of a situation where someone who is 70 and doing his original job part time but doesn’t realise he is having difficulties. I difficult conversation with management is coming.
Going on family history, my estimated expiry date is early to mid sixties, and it is an assault on my human rights that anyone should be allowed to be employed up to age 70.
@Martello Mulligan: Maybe I’m not reading you correctly but that sounds a bit selfish.??
@Martello Mulligan: If a lot of your family died that young they must have smoked. So don’t smoke.
@William Grogan: That is a wild assumption. Lots of illnesses are genetic
@RJ.Fallon: It sounds ridiculous to be honest, how does a particular families life/death expectation impact all other individuals in a stated age range in employment, I take it Martello thinks they have no human rights.
Think the ‘work longer if they wish’ part of this is largely misleading. People who ‘retire’ usually continue to work in some capacity paid or otherwise – housework, cooking, gardening, childcare etc so getting into a flap about the right to work beyond a certain age is missing the point. The real issue facing people in the future will the scenario where people will have no choice but to work beyond retirement age. Does anyone seriously think that Ireland’s generation rent will be able to afford to pay spiralling rents on a pension? Given our demographics, there’s a big question mark over whether there will be enough funds to pay pensions in 30-40 years time so this ‘right to work’ should really be about the ‘need to work’ beyond retirement.
My Mum was still working up to last year at age 74 only reason stopped was because boutique closed down. She even got another Job in new one but her pay and hours where a disgrace so she did not take the Job
@Kerrie Roche:
Good for her. Great to see but older people are treated poorly by society in general so I’m not surprised at the derisory pay and conditions
Some people need and want to work for the sake of sanity alone and both the young AND old are exploited in that regard by some employers.
@Bat Daly: she is an amazing woman, even went to slane last year to guns and roses
It’s great that we oldies should have the chance to stay working longer but it’s also a bit selfish. It isn’t giving younger people a chance to move up. Young people need decent jobs to support their young families, us oldies have been there and done that and honestly I think they should be thinking of giving younger employees a chance and opt for part time work so they can ease themselves into retirement.
@Dorothy Giselsson: agreed. I also think that its wrong to force people to have to work until they are 67/68 – by the time I can claim my pension I’ll be 70!! Not all jobs are suitable for the elderly to continue to work but now people are being forced to work until these ages as they won’t get their pension! I agree as you say that perhaps there should be the option to work part time and ease into retirement but part pension should be paid in this instance. A disgrace our politicians can claim their multiple pensions so early when the multitude cannot.
I will be forced onto the dole later this year at 65, some cheek to call it retirement, people who retire get pension, I have to sign to job seekers the day after I stop work because of my birthday. Won’t pay my pension till I 66, 50 euros a week less is alot to lose and why???
If you are retirement age and feel like working or maybe you have to then do there is plenty of healthy 60 and 70 year olds and it should be their choice
Seen discrimination in a work place for staff that stay on after 65.Some are made move to a different shift and do a different job plus there now on a fixed term contract and don’t have any sick pay.
have your say