Astronauts on the ISS have finished the
first of potentially three spacewalks necessary to replace a pump containing a
faulty valve.
Half of the station's cooling system has been
shut down for a week after detecting abnormal temperatures. All non-essential
equipment has been turned off until the problem can be repaired.
The six-hour long spacewalk was conducted by US
astronauts Rick Mastracchio and Mike Hopkins, who removed a fridge-sized
ammonia pump that was faulty. At one point, a connector began to float away
from the station, but Mastracchio was able to recover it.
A new pump will be installed on 24 December,
however if the problem remains then a third spacewalk may be necessary.
The repairs have been prioritised over the launch of a supply ship to bring
new equipment to the station and carry away its trash. That will now happen in
January.
However, Nasa also played down the urgency of the
mission, saying the situation was potentially serious but not life-threatening.
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