WASHINGTON (AP) - The U.S. military is developing contingency plans to deal with the possibility that a large spy satellite expected to fall to Earth in late February or early March could hit North America.
Astronauts Whitson and Tani are this morning, on a solar array part. reports:
Image Above: Earth's limb and airglow form part of the background for this scene of solar array panels on the International Space Station that appear to be intersecting. Image credit: NASA
U.S. spacewalkers Peggy Whitson, station commander, and Dan Tani, flight engineer, began a spacewalk from the Quest airlock of the International Space Station at 4:56 a.m. EST. Spacewalk tasks include moving to the starboard of the truss structure, removing and replacing a Bearing Motor Roll Ring Module (BMRRM) and inspecting a Solar Alpha Rotary Joint (SARJ). Today’s spacewalk is planned to last 6.5 hours.
Just after 7 a.m. the spacewalkers removed and replaced the BMRRM. The BMRRM, called the “broom”, drives the solar arrays as they tilt towards the sun maximizing power generation. The BMRRM experienced electrical failures in early December.
The spacewalkers are examining the SARJ today after video inspections took place over the weekend providing data for engineers on the ground. The SARJ experienced electrical spikes last year and previous inspections revealed contamination and debris.
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Jan. 11 NASA Friday announced Feb. 7 as the target launch date for shuttle Atlantis' STS-122 mission to the International Space Station and mid-March for the launch of Endeavour on STS-123. Liftoff of Atlantis from NASA's Kennedy Space Center, Fla., will be at 2:47 p.m. EST.
A decision by the Russian Federal Space Agency to move up its Progress launch from Feb. 7 to Feb. 5 enables both STS-122 and STS-123 to launch before the next Russian Soyuz mission in early April. This allows astronauts assigned to the space station's Expedition 16 crew to complete the tasks they have trained for, including support of the launch and docking of Jules Verne, the first European Space Agency Automated Transfer Vehicle. Targeting Feb. 7 also allows time to complete modifications to the engine cutoff sensor system that postponed two shuttle launch attempts in December.
Atlantis' main objective during its STS-122 mission to the station is to install and activate the European Space Agency's Columbus laboratory, which will provide scientists around the world the ability to conduct a variety of experiments in life, physical, and materials science, Earth observation and solar physics.
Shuttle Endeavour's STS-123 mission will deliver Kibo, the first section of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's laboratory module, and Dextre, Canada's new robotics system to the space station.
NASA managers will meet in the coming weeks to address the schedule of remaining shuttle flights beyond STS-123.
Two orbiting U.S. spacecraft were forced to change course to avoid being damaged by the thousands of pieces of space debris produced after China carried out an anti-satellite weapon test one year ago today.
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