Interaction: STS-117 station rebooting

Myers: Hello, and welcome everyone to Interaction here at NASA Johnson Space Centre in Houston, TX, USA. This morning, the crew on board the International Space Station were able to start up two more flight computers and appear to be well on their way to returning the set of computers to normal. Programme managers have reported that all six computers were restarted today after their unusual failures a week ago. Is this symptomatic of an aging ISS that may not last longer than the Space Shuttle itself, or is this simply another example of the famous tech support advice, “Try cycling the power”? With us today to talk about this, we have a panel of four persons. First, science fiction author Mr Ron Alvies.

Alvies: Hi.

Myers: The director of the Austin Planetarium and Space Travel Centre, Mr Juan Extebarria.

Extebarria: Hi Debbie.

Myers: We have a retired astronaut instructor and current associate editor of the programme An Entire Week of Space, Ms Charisa Wang-Phelps.

Wang-Phelps: Howarya.

Myers: And Ka-Ching TV North America’s space correspondent, Ms Gaby Queensland.

Queensland: Hey Debbie.

Myers: Thanks to all of you for being here this week. We go to you first, Ron. You’ve written a number of short stories about Space Shuttle orbiters doing interesting things. Have you written about repair work to the thermal blankets on the OMS pods?

Alvies: No, but now I have an idea for my next story.

Myers: Noble sentiments there. Juan, in your experience following space missions, what is the closest parallel to the recent issues with the ISS computers?

Extebarria: I’ve been trying to work that out. It would have to be a mix of the overload errors on the Apollo LEMs, plus the issues that Columbia had from time to time, and a little bit of Soyuz 7.

Myers: Charisa, were the ISS crew really prepared for this event? Does the training programme on the ground really help them know what to do in the event of such an unusual occurrence?

Wang-Phelps: I think so, Debbie. The most important lesson an astronaut can learn is that anything can go wrong at any time in any place in any way and could require any method to fix it.

Myers: Gaby, yesterday’s EVA saw Danny Olivas and Jim Reilly stow solar array P6-2B in preparation for a move on a later mission. This means that the arrays are no longer deployed on the zenith side of the station. What does this mean for the station?

Queensland: Well, Debbie, now that the arrays are stowed, it means that there is enough clearance to rotate the solar alpha rotary joint, SARJ, on the S3 truss segment. That means the arrays can flip over [demonstrates with hand] to track the Sun as the station orbits.

Myers: Well, in fact, this is a particularly important mission, isn’t it, Charisa?

Charisa: That’s right. The Atlantis orbiter delivered the S4 segment of the truss, which includes two wings of solar arrays. Furthermore, the crew were able to complete stowing of the P6 arrays, which means they can now be moved to their proper position on the port side of the truss.

Myers: Juan, would you consider this the most important ISS construction mission to date?

Extebarria: No.

Myers: In your mind, what is?

Extebarria: The launch of the Zarya module.

Myers: That was...

Extebarria: The first ISS module launched.

Myers: All right. That does seem rather important. We’ll now take questions from our viewers. You have a number of ways to reach us today, including telephone, SMS, E-mail, snail mail, and facsimile, and the ways you can do that are being shown on your television set right now. Unless you’re viewing our webcast, in which case they’re being shown on your monitor right now. Unless you’re viewing our webcast on a laptop, since laptop screens are generally not considered monitors. And unless you’re viewing our webcast and using a television set as your monitor, in which case they are being shown on your television set right now. And unless the television set they’re being shown on doesn’t belong to you, in which case stop being such a cheap bastard and get a television set. Our first question is a text message from Elie in Montréal, QC, Canada. She asks why Suni Williams is leaving so soon. Gaby, why is Sunita Williams, the new record holder for females in space, returning to Earth after only 188 days in space?

Queensland: Well, Suni has been performing well, and they see no need to replace her, really. But NASA have rules about time in space, and they want to give Clay Anderson a chance to play up there.

Myers: Fair enough. We have another question from a viewer, and it’s Jorge in Medina, Spain. Jorge, are you there?

Jorge in Medina: Yes. Hi.

Myers: Hello Jorge. What is your question?

Jorge in Medina: First I must point out that I am not a viewer.

Myers: What?

Jorge in Medina: I am not a viewer of Interaction.

Myers: Then why are you calling in to our programme?

Jorge in Medina: A friend told me you were talking about the International Space Station and that I should call in.

Myers: All right. In that case, we have a non-viewer question from Jorge in Medina, Spain. What is your non-viewer question, Jorge?

Jorge in Medina: Why is Suni Williams leaving so soon?

Myers: Wow. You really are a non-viewer. Gaby, has your answer changed since last time?

Queensland: No, you may cut and paste my answer from before.

Myers: Those who are recording this programme, feel free to listen to Gaby’s response again. For the rest of you, try to remember what she said.

Alvies: Actually, can I add something on this topic, Debbie?

Myers: All right.

Alvies: NASA likes to keep astronauts’ stays in space to six months or less, but in fact astronauts and/or cosmonauts have been in orbit much longer than that. Valeri Polyakov holds the record for the longest time in space on one mission. He was on Mir for more than a year.

Extebarria: Is he currently sterile?

Alvies: Not that I know of.

Myers: Well, we have a couple more questions today. Ashley in Parktown, NJ, USA, are you there?

Ashley in Parktown: Hi.

Myers: Hello Ashley. What is your question?

Ashley in Parktown: Well, I was wondering, who has been the best crewmember on the International Space Station so far?

Myers: Well, that’s a very intriguing question. Whom would you say, Ron?

Alvies: I don’t know. I’ll pass.

Myers: Juan?

Extebarria: I’d say Ed Lu. His was one of the best EVAs I’ve seen.

Myers: Charisa?

Wang-Phelps: I always had a soft spot for Bill Shepherd, the first ISS commander.

Myers: Gaby?

Queensland: I’m not sure either. I’ll pass too.

Myers: All right. One vote each for Lu and Shepherd. We have time for one more question. It’s an E-mail from Boni in Gaborone, Botswana. Boni asks if the crew sizes on the ISS are being increased to four. Charisa?

Wang-Phelps: Well, in fact, four crewmembers are considered part of Expedition 15, but since Sunita Williams is being replaced by Clay Anderson, the total size of the crew is remaining at three.

Alvies: I would be in favour of increasing the size of the crew to four.

Extebarria: But the station can’t support that many.

Alvies: Well, I would also be in favour of adding a second ISS to make a kind of Double ISS, which could support up to six crew members. Wouldn’t that be great?

Myers: Well, we are now at the end of another edition of Interaction. We thank Ms Gaby Queensland, Ms Charisa Wang-Phelps, Mr Juan Extebarria, and Mr Ron Alvies for being with us this week. Next week we will return to Kennedy Space Centre to discuss the landing of STS-117. With us will be two space news editors, an astronaut documentary filmmaker, and a barber who has cut the hair of over a hundred cosmonauts. You can, of course, begin sending in your questions for those guests at interaction.goobnet.net. Until then, good night.

Alvies: I would also be in favour of putting an ISS in heliocentric orbit to make a kind of Interplanetary Space Station.

Wang-Phelps: I know someone who might want the film rights to that.