Power problems on the International Space Station will be somewhat mitigated by a successful repair job on one of the station’s solar panels. This still leaves a tear in one panel and a problem with a key joint to be solved.

Still, a successful spacewalk has now repaired the motor that keeps one set of panels pointing towards the sun (press release). The repair team had to work in darkness as they were working with live cables on the panels. Sunlight could have generated power that would electrocute them.

The cause of the joint problem is still not clear. "We did not see any smoking guns as a result of our inspections today, It’s going to take a detailed analysis of all the data we have, including a metallurgical and chemical analysis of the samples we have taken, to really put the pieces of the puzzle together,” says flight director Kwatsi Alibaruho (Houston Chronicle).

Until enough power can be generated by the panels a Japanese lab scheduled for installation is in mothballs.

After the motor was installed astronaut Dan Tani apparently said, “Hey. It works!”

It’s nice to hear those words being used in reference to the ISS solar panels again…

Power problems for space station – October 29, 2007

More space station woes – October 31, 2007

Space station solar panels: one fixed, one to go – November 05, 2007

Someone’s got it in for the ISS – December 14, 2007

Image: astronaut prepares to inspect joint / NASA TV