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Astronauts Repair Torn Solar Panel During Dangerous Spacewalk
Saturday, November 03, 2007
HOUSTON - A spacewalking astronaut fixed a ripped solar energy panel on the
international space station Saturday in a difficult and dangerous emergency
procedure that allowed the crew to extend the wing to its full length.
Spacewalker Scott Parazynski installed homemade braces on the torn wing and
clipped the snarled wires that had ripped it in two places as it was being
unfurled Tuesday. He then watched as the crew deployed the wing to its full
115-foot length.
Astronauts inside slowly extended the wing, watching closely for more
problems. The wing was about three-quarters unfurled when the crew noticed
the damage on Tuesday.
"Excellent work, guys, excellent," space station commander Peggy Whitson
said, after the wing was locked in place.
"Before we do the victory dance let's get Scott safely back to structure and
then we can all rejoice," Discovery commander Pamela Melroy said as the
robotic arm started driving Parazynski back to the station.
Perched at the tip of a 90-foot robotic arm and boom extension, Parazynski
worked at the far left end of the linked shuttle-station complex, about half
a football field away from the pressurized compartments where the astronauts
work and live.
The ugly snag involved a guide wire, two hinge wires and two grommets.
Parazynski first clipped a hinge wire near the larger tear, using a special
tool that looked like a hockey stick to make sure the panel didn't spring
back and hit him.
The solar panel captures sunlight to generate electricity, and is alive with
more than 100 volts of electricity, possibly as much as 160 volts.
"It's a bit of a reach here," Parazynski said as he stretched to cut part of
the guide wire.
"It's what those monkey arms are for," Melroy said, referring to
Parazynski's 6-foot-2 height.
As soon as Parazynski cut the guide wire, the approximately 90-foot stretch
of it recoiled all the way down into a reel where fellow spacewalker Douglas
Wheelock was controlling and monitoring it. To everyone's relief, it
retracted smoothly. "Beautiful. Nicely done," Parazynski reported.
Parazynski's helmet camera sent close-up pictures of the damage to Mission
Control and the space station, allowing the astronauts and experts on the
ground to discuss the best way to tackle the damage on the gold-colored
wing.
To reduce the risk of Parazynski being shocked by the electricity generated
by the panel, all of the metal parts on his space suit were covered with
insulating tape - triple-taped, in fact - as were all his tools.
Wheelock also kept a close eye on Parazynski and his tools, guiding him to
lean back when he got a bit too close to the swaying wing.
Without repairs, the wing posed a structural hazard for the international
space station. The damage could have worsened and the wing could have become
unstable, possibly forcing NASA to cut it loose and lose a vital power
source for future laboratories.
It was Parazynski's fourth spacewalk this mission and the seventh of his
15-year astronaut career.
Astronauts Repair Torn Solar Panel During Dangerous Spacewalk
Saturday, November 03, 2007
HOUSTON - A spacewalking astronaut fixed a ripped solar energy panel on the
international space station Saturday in a difficult and dangerous emergency
procedure that allowed the crew to extend the wing to its full length.
Spacewalker Scott Parazynski installed homemade braces on the torn wing and
clipped the snarled wires that had ripped it in two places as it was being
unfurled Tuesday. He then watched as the crew deployed the wing to its full
115-foot length.
Astronauts inside slowly extended the wing, watching closely for more
problems. The wing was about three-quarters unfurled when the crew noticed
the damage on Tuesday.
"Excellent work, guys, excellent," space station commander Peggy Whitson
said, after the wing was locked in place.
"Before we do the victory dance let's get Scott safely back to structure and
then we can all rejoice," Discovery commander Pamela Melroy said as the
robotic arm started driving Parazynski back to the station.
Perched at the tip of a 90-foot robotic arm and boom extension, Parazynski
worked at the far left end of the linked shuttle-station complex, about half
a football field away from the pressurized compartments where the astronauts
work and live.
The ugly snag involved a guide wire, two hinge wires and two grommets.
Parazynski first clipped a hinge wire near the larger tear, using a special
tool that looked like a hockey stick to make sure the panel didn't spring
back and hit him.
The solar panel captures sunlight to generate electricity, and is alive with
more than 100 volts of electricity, possibly as much as 160 volts.
"It's a bit of a reach here," Parazynski said as he stretched to cut part of
the guide wire.
"It's what those monkey arms are for," Melroy said, referring to
Parazynski's 6-foot-2 height.
As soon as Parazynski cut the guide wire, the approximately 90-foot stretch
of it recoiled all the way down into a reel where fellow spacewalker Douglas
Wheelock was controlling and monitoring it. To everyone's relief, it
retracted smoothly. "Beautiful. Nicely done," Parazynski reported.
Parazynski's helmet camera sent close-up pictures of the damage to Mission
Control and the space station, allowing the astronauts and experts on the
ground to discuss the best way to tackle the damage on the gold-colored
wing.
To reduce the risk of Parazynski being shocked by the electricity generated
by the panel, all of the metal parts on his space suit were covered with
insulating tape - triple-taped, in fact - as were all his tools.
Wheelock also kept a close eye on Parazynski and his tools, guiding him to
lean back when he got a bit too close to the swaying wing.
Without repairs, the wing posed a structural hazard for the international
space station. The damage could have worsened and the wing could have become
unstable, possibly forcing NASA to cut it loose and lose a vital power
source for future laboratories.
It was Parazynski's fourth spacewalk this mission and the seventh of his
15-year astronaut career.
