Thread: Gyro failed
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Old April 29th 04, 09:41 AM
Doug...
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Default Gyro failed

In article ,
says...
Jim Kingdon wrote in
news
http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory...story2/2523944

The good news is that they think they'll be able to repair the failed
CMG with a spacewalk, using spare parts they have on board.


Right. They have one bad CMG with a good power supply, and one good CMG
with a bad power supply. Between them, they can get one CMG back and
running.


But, of course, one of the problems is that the area in which the CMGs
and their power units are located isn't very accessible via handholds
and tie-downs -- it almost needs the robot arm to provide a work
platform. And there won't be anyone inside to operate the arm to
position a work platform.

I'm sure they'll figure out a way to handle it -- after all, Skylab
wasn't designed for a little guy in a hard suit to tie a nylon rope to a
stuck solar panel and use his legs to pull it free (thus sending him ass
over teakettle out to the end of his tether). I guess I'm just a little
more concerned in this case -- without American suits for both guys
(which AIUI is the situation on ISS right now) there are no SAFERs, and
if someone kicks out too far or gets loose from their tether, ain't
nothing to be done but watch and listen as he floats near the ISS until
he dies...

Doug