They had a scary moment during yesterday's space walk. They were trying to get the old camera out. One of the bolts wouldn't turn. It has been in space for 16 years They kept adding more torque, and they knew they were approaching the point at which the bolt would break, preventing -- forever -- the replacement of the camera. In what looked like their last attempt, the got it turning. Bravo! The live coverage via NASA's online TV is really superb. They are using helmet-cams, and you get to see just what they see.
NASA put together a video on the personal stories of the crew members. I think it is a good thing to show kids (Billy has already seen it, Maria is next):
An Unintended Post-Mortem
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Many of us wind up in a similar situation, I'm sure: we impulse buy at
hamfests—great plans for some big old currently non-working piece of
gear—and then...
1 hour ago
Where's a can of WD40 and a torch when you need it to loosen up those bolts!? :-)
ReplyDeleteOr the drill bit and the hack saw! :)
ReplyDeleteLooks like the fastening was... just before breaking :)