Posted on 07/11/2006 7:34:36 AM PDT by Mr. Brightside
Today: July 11, 2006 at 7:26:19 PDT
Duct Tape Suggested for Spacewalk Repair
By MIKE SCHNEIDER
ASSOCIATED PRESS
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) -
Even in space, a little duct tape may work wonders. Astronaut Piers Sellers suggested using some of the multipurpose sticky material to fix a safety-jet backpack used during spacewalks after it almost came loose from him while he repaired the international space station.
"Right now, is there some kind of tape fix that you guys could think about that would be helpful?" Sellers asked Mission Control Tuesday morning, a day after the propulsive backpack started to come loose during his spacewalk with astronaut Mike Fossum.
Fossum had to tether the device to Sellers to keep it from flying away.
The jet backpack, nicknamed SAFER, is worn by every astronaut during a spacewalk. It allows an astronaut to propel himself or herself to safety in an emergency, for instance if a tether or foot restraint holding the astronaut in place breaks.
The two connecting devices of Sellers' backpack attachment, designed to be used if an astronaut floats free, loosened at different times, but he was never in danger of losing it, NASA officials said.
Sellers and Fossum were to make three spacewalks during space shuttle Discovery's 13-day mission to the space station, which ends next Monday.
During the second spacewalk on Monday, the spacewalkers replaced a cable reel to a rail car needed to move large pieces around the space station and installed a pump compartment for the complex's cooling system.
"That was a great (spacewalk) and it showed that Aggies can be taught to work locks, latches and anything else," flight controllers wrote in their daily morning electronic message to Discovery's crew, referring to Fossum, a graduate of Texas A&M. "Miracles never cease."
Discovery pilot Mark Kelly, who helped choreograph the spacewalk from inside the space station, told Houston he thinks the latches on Sellers' backpack came undone inside the shuttle's crowded payload bay.
"It's surprising that it did happen, but he's bumping a lot around in there," Kelly said Tuesday.
For Wednesday's spacewalk, the astronauts planned to test whether a sealant can be used to repair damaged pieces of the space shuttle's thermal protection system. The technique was developed to make sure there's never a repeat of the Columbia accident that killed seven astronauts in 2003.
The six astronauts of Discovery, along with the three space station crew members, planned to spend most of Tuesday packing up science experiments, trash and unneeded equipment to take back to Earth. They awoke to a recording of Smash Mouth's "All Star" chosen by the family of astronaut Lisa Nowak.
Flight controllers in their electronic message praised the crew for transferring cargo so quickly.
"Transfer is going so well, we thought about giving you a bunch of time off," they said, "but then after the laughter died down, we actually did decide to reduce transfer a few hours today."
No, more than likely it is a Youth room of some poor church. :)
See Post #14. That's what the vice grips are for.
Duct tape and baling wire.
Tools that keep America going.
I have a question.
Would the duct tape be the standards $4.00 a roll variety or some special government purchase stuff that costs $400.00 a roll ?
Hey, AirBus depends on it!
Duct tape on a plane's wing.
One day an older man is sitting on his front porch when a young boy walks by holding a roll of duct tape.
Whatchya got there boy?
Got some duck tape..gonna catch me some ducks!
The old guy chuckles and continues to sit on his porch. A few hours later, the boy walks back past his porch pulling a long strand of tape with about a half-dozen ducks stuck to it. Hmmm....
The next day, the old guy is sitting on the porch and along comes the boy with some rolled up chicken wire.
Whatchya got there boy? the man asks...
I got some chicken wire and I'm gonna catch me some chickens!
A while later, the boy comes by dragging the wire with a half-dozen chickens stuck in it.
The next morning, the boy walks by carrying a large handful of reeds.
Whatchya got there boy?? The old man asks...
"Pussy Willows!" the boy replies.
The old man exclaims hurriedly, Hold on boy, I'm gonna get my hat!!!
ping
I had a large piece of my helicopter held on by about three rolls of duct tape wrapped around-and-around the airframe.
Crew chief painted it poor-man's camo and said "don't worry L.T., it'll hold." Lasted all of Desert Storm.
That'd make an awesome tagline. LOL
If tape is good enough for the Possum Lodge, it should work well for astronauts.
There is simply no job too big for duct tape.
Don't forget JB Weld!
Duct Tape is the force that binds the world together.
Duct tape, the Astronaut's Secret Weapon.
BTW, My favorite line from Red Green "When all else fails, switch to power tools."
Was that the 100 mph type (Silver) or the 200 mph kind (Green)....
"Was that the 100 mph type (Silver) or the 200 mph kind (Green)...."
Well, it was painted tan, so it was probably good to 300.
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