Oct 29, 2007 12:20 pm US/Eastern
NASA Considers Adding Extra Day To Shuttle Mission
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) ―
Astronauts plowed ahead Monday with the mammoth job of moving a 17 1/2-ton beam on the international space station, a task made even more crucial following the discovery of debris in an important part of the orbiting lab's power system.
A spacewalking astronaut on Sunday found metal shavings inside a joint that is needed to turn a set of solar power panels. Astronauts used a magnet to determine that at least some of the shavings were metallic, and officials said it could be steel from the bearings or rings.
The rotary joint, launched and installed just four months ago, controls the huge solar panel wings on the right side of the space station to make sure they're facing the sun. It has been experiencing electrical current spikes for nearly two months.
NASA has limited the joint's motion to prevent the debris from causing permanent damage. But that also limits the system's ability to generate power for the station.
Space station managers would like additional inspections of this joint while Discovery is docked and have requested that the shuttle spend an extra day there to accomplish the job. That would add a 15th day to the shuttle mission. A decision was expected later Monday.
The glitch raises the stakes for the Discovery crew's ongoing attempt to move the giant beam from one part of the orbiting complex to another.
Failing to install the girder or to unfurl its enormous folded solar wings would delay the planned December installation of the European Space Agency's science laboratory, named Columbus. The lab is supposed to latch onto the new Harmony module that Discovery delivered last week.
Mike Suffredini, NASA's space station program manager, said it's too soon to know whether and how the joint trouble will affect future flights. Everything should be fine into early next year, he told reporters Monday morning.
On Monday, as music played, the astronauts used two robotic arms to move the girder into place for its installation during a spacewalk on Tuesday.
"It's a heck of a lot more fun flying the arm with some Huey Lewis in the background," radioed astronaut Daniel Tani.
The schedule for Tuesday's spacewalk also includes time for an inspection of the joint for the left solar wings. That joint is working fine. Spacewalker Scott Parazynski has been asked to take pictures and samples like those gathered Sunday at the other joint so NASA can compare the findings.
The astronauts have spare parts for the joint with them in orbit, including extra bearings.
As of now, Discovery is set to undock from the station on Sunday and land on Nov. 6. But both those dates probably will slip a day. Mission managers have determined the ship's thermal shielding is in good shape for re-entry.
Monday's schedule includes some off-duty time for the astronauts. The day started well for astronaut and Boston native Stephanie Wilson, who heard from Mission Control that the Red Sox had swept the World Series.
"That's great news!" Wilson said. "Go Sox! Woooo!"
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