DATE=6/18/99
TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT
NUMBER=2-250841
TITLE=SPACE STATION NEAR MISS (L-ONLY)
BYLINE=DAVID MCALARY
DATELINE=WASHINGTON
CONTENT=
VOICED AT:
INTRO: AN EFFORT BY U-S AND RUSSIAN GROUND CONTROLLERS TO MOVE
THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION AWAY FROM A DANGEROUS PIECE OF
SPACE DEBRIS LAST WEEK FAILED, ALTHOUGH NO COLLISION OCCURRED.
AS WE HEAR FROM V-O-A SCIENCE CORRESPONDENT DAVID MCALARY, THE
U-S SPACE AGENCY, NASA, BLAMES THE GROUND TEAM FOR THE ERROR.
TEXT: NASA HAS REVEALED THAT A USED RUSSIAN ROCKET CAME CLOSE TO
THE SPACE STATION ONE WEEK AGO, ON JUNE ELEVENTH. THE U-S AIR
FORCE SPACE COMMAND, WHICH MONITORS SPACE DEBRIS, HAD INFORMED
NASA THAT THE ROCKET WOULD PASS AS CLOSE AS ONE KILOMETER BY LAST
SUNDAY -- A DISTANCE CONSIDERED TOO CLOSE FOR SAFE OPERATIONS.
BUT, WHEN GROUND CONTROLLERS INSTRUCTED THE STATION COMPUTER TO
FIRE ITS ENGINES TO MOVE TO A SAFER ORBIT, THE STATION DID NOT
RESPOND. INSTEAD, THE RESULT WAS A SHUT DOWN OF THE COMPUTER --
WHICH IS ABOARD THE RUSSIAN MODULE, THE SECTION WHICH CURRENTLY
CONTROLS THE STATION'S POSITION.
NASA SPOKESMAN JAMES HARTSFIELD SAYS THE COMPUTER OPERATED
PROPERLY. THE FAULT, HE SAYS, WAS WITH THE COMMAND SENT FROM THE
GROUND.
/// HARTSFIELD ACT ///
THIS WAS THE FIRST TIME THAT WE HAVE ATTEMPTED TO
CONDUCT THAT MANEUVER OPERATIONALLY, ALTHOUGH WE HAVE
PRACTICED IT AND PLANNED IT BEFORE. THE COMMAND THAT WE
SENT UP TO THE STATION WAS IN ERROR AND DID NOT
PERFORM THE FUNCTION WE WANTED IT TO. THE STATION
PERFORMED EXACTLY AS IT WAS SUPPOSED TO, AND WHEN IT SAW
THE PROBLEM WITHIN THE COMMAND, IT SHUT DOWN ITS
STEERING SYSTEM AND DID NOT MANEUVER.
/// END ACT ///
MR. HARTSFIELD SAYS AN INVESTIGATION HAS NOT YET DETERMINED
WHETHER THE FAULT WAS WITH U-S OR RUSSIAN SPACE STATION
CONTROLLERS. THE COMMAND WAS DEVISED BY BOTH GROUND TEAMS AND
SENT FROM THE CONTROL CENTER OUTSIDE MOSCOW LAST SATURDAY NIGHT
BECAUSE IT HAD TO GO TO THE RUSSIAN MODULE.
NEWS REPORTS SAY THE TECHNICIANS MAY NOT HAVE FACTORED IN THE
CHANGES IN THE SPACE STATION'S MASS SINCE THE SPACE SHUTTLE
"DISCOVERY'" DELIVERED MORE THAN TWO-THOUSAND KILOGRAMS OF
EQUIPMENT TO THE STATION EARLIER THIS MONTH.
IN THE END, THE AIR FORCE WAS WRONG ABOUT THE DISTANCE THE SPENT
RUSSIAN ROCKET WOULD COME TO THE SPACE STATION. IT FLEW BY NOT
ONE KILOMETER AWAY AS PREDICTED, BUT ABOUT SEVEN KILOMETERS. HAD
IT COLLIDED, HOWEVER, IT MAY WELL HAVE DESTROYED THE ORBITING
OUTPOST.
MR. HARTSFIELD CALLS THE EPISODE A LEARNING EXPERIENCE.
/// HARTSFIELD ACT ///
IT'S A LESSON THAT WE ARE CERTAINLY TAKING TO HEART AND
HAVE BEGUN AN EVALUATION OF ALL THOSE PROCEDURES AND
WHAT OCCURRED TO CAUSE THE PROBLEM TO ENSURE THAT IT'S
NOT GOING TO HAPPEN AGAIN.
/// END ACT ///
THE NASA SPOKESMAN NOTES THAT THE FAILURE TO MOVE THE STATION
WOULD NOT HAVE OCCURRED WITH A CREW ON BOARD. GROUND
CONTROLLERS HAVE TO WAIT UNTIL THE STATION PASSES OVER
COMMUNICATIONS ANTENNAS, LIMITING THE TIME THEY HAVE TO DISPATCH
COMMANDS. BUT, ASTRONAUTS WHO ARRIVE NEXT YEAR WILL BE ON SITE
AND ABLE TO MAKE COURSE CORRECTIONS IMMEDIATELY IF NECESSARY.
(SIGNED)
NEB/DEM/SP
18-Jun-99 5:47 PM EDT (2147 UTC)
NNNN
Source: Voice of America
.
|
NEWSLETTER
|
|
Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list
|
|
|
