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NASA plans emergency space walk on ISS


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A pair of astronauts will venture outside the International Space Station as early as Tuesday for an emergency space walk to replace a failed computer, one of two that control major U.S. systems aboard the orbiting outpost, NASA said on Sunday. The primary device failed on Saturday, leaving the $100 billion orbiting laboratory to depend on a backup system to route commands to its solar power system, radiators, cooling loops and other equipment.

The station’s current five-member crew from the United States, Russia and France were never in any danger, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration said in a statement.

http://www.financialexpress.com/lifestyle/science/nasa-plans-emergency-space-walk-on-international-space-station/678937/

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I hope that tey're not using Windows, It'll take sooooo many reboots to configure the O/S and re-install all the drivers and then there's the headache of finding all the license codes for all of the 3rd party programs....nightmare

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It'd be a hoot if they're using Android, Google Location Service would have a meltdown!

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4 minutes ago, EBE Hybrid said:

I hope that tey're not using Windows, It'll take sooooo many reboots to configure the O/S and re-install all the drivers and then there's the headache of finding all the license codes for all of the 3rd party programs....nightmare

won't nasa get a customized windows? or you were just being sarcastic? 

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Surely it would have made more sense locating the computer in a place where it could be accessed from inside the space station. For instance, I have my computer in my living room, and not on the roof of my house. 

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18 minutes ago, kartikg said:

won't nasa get a customized windows? or you were just being sarcastic? 

There may have been an element of "Dry Humor" involved, based on real life experience of Windows

Edited by EBE Hybrid
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Seem like an awfully long way to go just to reboot the system. Like something out of a movie.

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According to the article, the module failed and needed to be replaced.  This isn't a simple reboot of a system. Based on the description it sounds like a fairly critical system.  Luckily they have a spare.  If this was a business on Earth, you wouldn't have a spare, the vendor of the equipment wouldn't have one in stock that could be overnighted either. The vendor would have to order from China and 6 weeks later you still wouldn't have your part.  Customer service has been replaced with "Just in time" deliveries.  The concept sounds great except for one thing; IT DOESN"T WORK when you have no control over who and where you are ordering from.  I forgot one thing, the need for a replacement part would have to be forecasted.  That would be the excuse for the 6 weeks as the item is "Made to order".

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6 hours ago, paperdyer said:

 I forgot one thing, the need for a replacement part would have to be forecasted.  That would be the excuse for the 6 weeks as the item is "Made to order".

I seem to remember HAL predicting a system failure and informing Dave Bowman how long it would take before the failure became critical, and that was 16 years ago in 2001!!!

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4 hours ago, EBE Hybrid said:

I seem to remember HAL predicting a system failure and informing Dave Bowman how long it would take before the failure became critical, and that was 16 years ago in 2001!!!

No that was the hypothetical future politicians--and NASA --unwittingly scuttled. In order to realize their grandiose vision of a reusable spacecraft and cheap access to orbit, NASA had to give up their heavy lift capability in the Saturn 5. In retrospect, it was a bad decision.

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I was at a small business seminar at JPL in the late 90's and there was a guy who's only job was to locate 386 chips because they were the latest "flight certified" (I think because the math co-processor on the 486 and Pentium had a flaw). I know they were moving to single core about that time also. The point being, most of the chips (some of them custom built by JPL subcontractors) on the ISS have a fraction of the power of the device in your hand right now. 

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