Elektron back up and running full time

Elektron back up and running full time

With new control software, and weeks of repairs,
the Elektron is up and running round the clock for
the first time in a month. Congratulations to all
space jury-riggers!

Controllers are anxious enough about the unit's
future lifetime that they withheld use of stored
oxygen supplies during the recent crew handover,
while the elektron was still inoperative. As a result
cabin oxygen levels fell below the Flight Rule lower
limit, but just barely, and both control centers
concurred that it was prudent to hold back as much
margin for future breakdowns as possible.

I'm still not clear on why, exactly, Elektron units
in the past had finite lifetimes -- failing more and
more frequently until they could no longer be started --
and how the recent repairs are supposed to have
altered this hitherto inevitable decline of each
unit's functionality.

In any case, stored supplies plus new supplies on
future Progress missions provide almost enough backup
for a full expedition using only expendable supplies,
a very comfortable margin to be in.

I'd like to learn more about the new design of an
'Elektron-2' unit (supposedly, a solid electrolyte
rather than the liquid one that contributed to so
much of the bubbling and clogging problems), who
in Russia is building it, how much oversight the
NASa partners have into its development and
testing, what long-term ground shakedowns are
planned (how long?), and how soon the first
unit can be installed on orbit.

Then I can update the reference pages at
my home page technical report on 'Elektron',
http://www.jamesoberg.com/elektron2_tec.html

On Thu, 28 Oct 2004 03:09:37 +0000, Jim Oberg wrote:



I'm still not clear on why, exactly, Elektron units in the past had
finite lifetimes -- failing more and more frequently until they could no
longer be started -- and how the recent repairs are supposed to have
altered this hitherto inevitable decline of each unit's functionality.
...
I'd like to learn more about the new design of an 'Elektron-2' unit
(supposedly, a solid electrolyte rather than the liquid one that
contributed to so much of the bubbling and clogging problems

I'd add corrosion and all it's associated problems to your list. If I had
to guess, probably the very caustic liquid electrolyte is the root of most
if not all of the Elektron's lifetime problems. So, it may last a lot longer
with a solid electrolyte.

Craig Fink

"Jim Oberg" wrote in message
...
I'd like to learn more about the new design of an
'Elektron-2' unit (supposedly, a solid electrolyte
rather than the liquid one that contributed to so
much of the bubbling and clogging problems), who
in Russia is building it, how much oversight the
NASa partners have into its development and
testing, what long-term ground shakedowns are
planned (how long?), and how soon the first
unit can be installed on orbit.

Then I can update the reference pages at
my home page technical report on 'Elektron',
http://www.jamesoberg.com/elektron2_tec.html


If you do this, it would be interesting to also include the plans for the US
systems as well. It certainly would be nice if the US had an operational O2
generator.

Jeff
--
Remove icky phrase from email address to get a valid address.

"Jim Oberg" wrote:

With new control software, and weeks of repairs, the Elektron is up and
running round the clock for the first time in a month. Congratulations to all
space jury-riggers!

And a pox on the designers, politicians, and bureaucrats that made
the work of the jury-riggers necessary.

I'm still not clear on why, exactly, Elektron units in the past had finite
lifetimes -- failing more and more frequently until they could no longer
be started -- and how the recent repairs are supposed to have
altered this hitherto inevitable decline of each unit's functionality.

Hopefully it's not the don't-worry-be-happy attitude that has marked
Elektron operations to date.

In any case, stored supplies plus new supplies on future Progress
missions provide almost enough backup for a full expedition using
only expendable supplies, a very comfortable margin to be in.

*Almost* enough backup if *future* missions don't have a hitch? I'd
not call that comfortable.

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

-Resolved: To be more temperate in my postings.
Oct 5th, 2004 JDL