A final spacewalk to finish repairs on a broken ammonia pump brought the International Space Station back to working order on 16 August. Crew members hooked up power and fluids to a spare pump module, which ground control confirmed was in healthy condition.
This was the third demanding spacewalk in close succession since the station’s cooling system short circuited after an electric spike on 31 July. The malfunction caused no risk to the flight crew – the ISS is equipped with two separate cooling systems – but generated worries as to what might happen if the secondary system also broke.
As previously noted, the repairs have pushed back the crew’s research priorities, which will now resume.
And, in case you were wondering where the ISS keeps its spare parts (do they have a tool shed out back?), you can find more information here.
Image: NASA
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