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Old September 15th 04, 03:01 AM
Mike Walsh
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"Derek Lyons" wrote in message
...
"Greg D. Moore \(Strider\)" wrote:
Systems that use liquids in 0g cannot really be tested on earth. They

are
tested and debugged while in orbit. And as time goes on, they discover

new
problems that crop up. That is what the space station is REALLY all

about.
Not research on how to grow crystals, but how to make and maintain/fix

systems
that are in long term use.


So in other words the purpose of living in space is to find out how to

live
in space? A bit circular, wouldn't you say?


No, he's saying what I've been saying for a while. LEO is the best
place to develop and test systems for eventual Mars/Asteroid missions.

D.
--
Touch-twice life. Eat. Drink. Laugh.


To the Russians credit, they actually have a working system up there and
if their Elektron fails then they might have to burn one of their
oxygen generating "candles" that have worked so well in the
past, at least if they didn't cause a major fire.

This makes me wonder just how much clout NASA has over the
Russian equipment that goes on the ISS. I would hope that they
are able to insist on some insight on the equipment, particularly
things such as safety hazards.

One negative is that I don't believe we even know whether or not
Russia has anyone actually spending the money to have any organization
actively trying to improve Elektron.

It appears to me that rather than accepting the Russian equipment as
super-qualified because it has been around for a long time that a
combined U.S. Russian program to improve certain specific
capabilities (Elektron, space suits, oxygen generating devices) could
be very productive.

Although probably tied up by political realities.

Mike Walsh