NASA orders emergency spacewalks for ISS repairsDecember 18, 2013 - 09:34 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - The U.S. space agency has ordered a series of emergency spacewalks to carry out repairs on a broken cooling line at the International Space Station, according to BBC News. NASA said the work to replace a faulty pump module would require two astronauts and three spacewalks - the first of which is planned for Saturday, Dec 21. Half of the cooling system automatically shut down last week after detecting abnormal temperatures. NASA said the situation was potentially serious but not life-threatening. The pump is associated with one of the station's two external cooling loops, NASA said in a statement. The two external cooling loops circulate ammonia outside the station to keep both internal and external equipment cool. NASA said the repairs would take priority over the launch of a supply ship from Virginia, which has now been postponed until January. Each spacewalk is scheduled to last six-and-a-half hours and will be broadcast on NASA TV. NASA said last week that it suspected a malfunction had affected a flow control valve inside the pump itself. The teams moved certain electrical systems over to the second loop, but the space agency stressed that the crew and the station were in no danger. Some non-critical systems were powered down inside the Harmony node, the Kibo laboratory and the Columbus laboratory whilst engineers worked to figure out what had caused the problem and how to fix it. Related links: Top stories Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". The earthquake caused a temporary blackout, damaged many buildings and closed a number of rural roads. Partner news | Ucom equips four bus stops in Ijevan with free Wi-Fi Ucom now provides free Wi-Fi coverage in smart bus stops in four communities of Ijevan. Armenia, Russia discuss life extension of Metsamor nuclear plant Issues regarding the extension of life of the 2nd power unit of the Armenian Nuclear Power Plant were discussed in Yerevan. Armenians stage more campaigns against territorial concessions to Azerbaijan Protesters blocked more roads across Armenia on Friday, April 26 in continuing attempts to scuttle territorial concessions to Azerbaijan. Czech-Armenian military cooperation discussed in Yerevan A delegation led by the Director General for the Industrial Cooperation Division of the Ministry of Defence of the Czech Republic visited Armenia. |