How Low Earth Orbit Astronauts Are the New Pioneers

The first ingredient of theInternational Space Station(ISS ) plunge over fifteen years ago , on November 20 , 1998 . For more than thirteen years at least two human being have been continually living off the surface of our planet . Assembly of the Space Station is now concluded . It is being utilized by its crowd and scientists from around the existence to action its primary mission – scientific investigationsthat can only be accomplished in the microgravity surround of Low Earth Orbit ( LEO ) .

When you live 260 mile above the nearest Home Depot , simple repairs can suddenly become , well , not quite so round-eyed . Originally on HackADay.com , NASA Flight Director Ed Van Cise hire us through the trailblazer - esque ingenuity and resource necessary to keep the ISS running smoothly .

As with any structure , items age , wear out out , or soften and need to be revivify . What could be rather “ simple-minded ” repairs on Earth can become much more complex in zero gravity . In some cases , “ necessary becomes the female parent of innovation . ”

Hostinger Coupon Code 15% Off

A Frontier Outpost

Theworld - class laboratorythat is the Space Station is , in legion shipway , a frontier outstation , similar to the forts ( military and civil ) established in the Westward expansion of the United States . The ISS revolve a “ mere ” 420 klick ( 260 stat mi ) above the surface of the planet . That ’s about the same distance as between Houston and Dallas , Texas . However it ’s not the distance from other human centre of civilization that make it an outpost or a frontier . Instead , it is the fact that those 420 kilometer are straight up above our heads . The ISS , a structure assemble in orbit to be roughly the size of anAmerican football game field of honor , must not only survive but expand in term unlike any other human - occupied structure . The facility needs to not only meet human needs for live but also supply the laboratory capability for science and research , both inside and outside the Space Station .

For the most part , the Space Station meet these necessity extremely well . However , just as on Earth , problems do occur . At times software or hardware does not function correctly because it was n’t or could n’t be tested in the unique environs of LEO . For example , there arelife support systemsthat have never been wide used on Earth . Even though these systems are all-important in either keeping the crowd alive or the quickness running , operating the systems themselves is a scientific experiment . In cases where this equipment stops working , the problems need to be fixed in rescript for the mission to go along and for the ISS to stay executable . In the tough case scenario , not secure the problem could mean bringing the bunch home and permanently terminate the ISS mission .

As former generation explored our planet and labor the boundaries of civilization they learned to accommodate and to learn from the circumstance that border them for live on and even flourish . When the wheel on the covered black Maria broke , it had to be fixed then and there ; there was no real choice if the trailblazer wanted to get to their next goal . apply that same manner of open up cleverness and resourcefulness today allows us to devise job solving strategies for our orbital frontier outpost .

Burning Blade Tavern Epic Universe

The ISS is equipped with as many extra parts as store space allows . However , like the early pioneer and adventurer , we can not express multiple spare part for everything . For some thing , we can bank onshipments from domicile . But as with all frontier settlement , resupply missions are not cheap , easy , prompt to docket , or 100 % authentic . For an example from the 1800s , if the grindstone of your mill in frontier Texas broke , you could order another one from St. Louis or points East , but it was very expensive and its arrival was months away and never truly assured . Whether waitress for a substitution or not , often on the frontier they seek to gear up what they had using what they had on hired man . Similarly on the Space Station , in many cases we must use the materials we have on deal to develop our own in - situ solution , or ‘ hack . ’ One advantage we have with the ISS that old explorers did not is that there is almost continuous communication with one C of experts back “ family ” to aid in developing those originative ideas and result . Imagine Western pioneers having instantaneous communicating with keep teams on the US East Coast ; the telegraph and telephone set understandably revolutionized the conception of a ‘ remote support team . ’

A History of Space Hacks

Unforeseen situations and problems get up despite the best efforts of those involved . It is these type of take exception moments and situations where human ingenuity and resourcefulness both onboard the ISS and in restraint center around the world rise to the function and find a solution . This extremely high level of creative thinking facilitated the conception of theCO2 scrubber solution for Apollo 13 , the cuff link repair of a ripped ISS solar array ( see Sidebar below ) , and using atoothbrush on a spacewalkto instal a stubborn but critical ISS power supply box .

Astronaut Scott Parazynski tax his repair work of a torn ISS solar array during the STS-120 delegacy . During the spacewalk he cut a snag wire and installed homemade stabilizers ( cuff links ) designed to strengthen the raiment ’s complex body part in the vicinity of the damage . Via NASA

While there are numerous payload resupply option for ISS , the need for on - site singular and ingenious recovery solutions will uphold to be necessary , and may even increase in frequency as the Space Station ages . With every one of these successful recoveries we not only allow ISS to continue its mission but learn fresh insights and techniques to help future designers and explorers as they stay to press the bound of our frontierbeyondthe relative safety of Low Earth Orbit .

Ideapad3i

Why on Earth ( off Earth ? ) would astronauts need to install cuff links in a solar array ? The P6 truss component of ISS was launched onSTS-97(ISS 4A ) in November 2000 . It contains two set of solar arrays and leave big businessman for the US Segment of ISS . It was “ temporarily ” mounted on top of ISS , on the Z1 corbel . When the turgid truss ‘ spinal column ’ of ISS was assembled later , the P6 arrays needed to be retracted so the array “ down below ” on the larger truss did not touch the P6 regalia “ up above . ” The arrays were retract on missionsSTS-116(12A.1 ) andSTS-117(13A ) , both in 2006 . That ’s 6 year after they were deployed . The regalia ( each blanket being the size of a basketball lawcourt ) folded up accordion style and went back into their very humble cover boxes . OnSTS-120(10A ) in October 2007 , the P6 truss was detached from the Z1 corbel and moved to the extreme port side of the ISS , where it was connected to the P5 corbel which completed expression of the ISS truss element .

All that remained was to redeploy the P6 solar regalia and generate power . Those blankets , however , after being deployed in the nuclear oxygen environs of Low Earth Orbit for 6 old age , and then folded up for 1 year , did not unfold lightly and neatly . Unfortunately , a couple of the panels stuck together and even though deployment of these basketball - court - sized array was done very easy and gently , a twosome of thehinge air on one of the cover tore .

It is hard to see in the photo but there are in reality a few guide wire that feed the duration of the solar regalia from top to bottom to assist keeping the raiment “ consecutive ” as it deploys and retracts . These wires go through eyelet in each section of each blanket . Our clever In Flight Maintenance team developed some pecker that used materials already on ISS , including conducting wire and zipties , to make ‘ cuff links ’ that interfaced with those cringle and essentially put the blankets allback to where they needed to be .

Last Of Us 7 Interview

Today , in early 2014 , the P6 solar arrays carry on to do exceptionally well . The cuff link fixing remains integral . We periodically have the crew take images of all of the solar arrays to allow for review for damage or degradation . There are , as yet , no issues or problems noted with the cuff link resort hack . The P6 array , the previous on the US Segment , continue to output power just as well as their siblings .

fold up view of one of the torn solar raiment blanket on the P6 truss .

This postwas in the beginning published onHackADay.com , a site for engineer and technology enthusiasts that focuses on building rather than buying , situate rather than discarding , and celebrating Fresh Hacks Every Day . It has been republished with permission .

Anker 6 In 1