The planned re-enhancement maneuver for the International Space Station ended after just 5 seconds for currently unknown reasons.
Cargo ships docked in International Space Station It fires its thrusts regularly in short bursts to keep the orbiting laboratory at its cruising altitude. These vehicles are usually Russian Progress capsules, but on Monday (June 20), Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus vehicle was scheduled to complete a five-minute burn to assess if the capsule was ready for that duty regularly.
The engine started firing at 11:20 a.m. EDT (1520 GMT) but shut down after just five seconds, according to a NASA statement (Opens in a new tab). The agency noted that Northrop Grumman is not yet sure of the cause of the miscarriage.
The agency emphasized that the defect was not a problem for the seven astronauts who live and work on the International Space Station. “The Expedition 67 crew, which was not at all in danger, continues its normal operating regime aboard the complex, which circles around 260 miles. [418 kilometers] above a landOfficials wrote.
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Today’s maneuver was originally scheduled for Saturday (June 18), but was postponed after the Progress capsule docked in the orbiting laboratory, and performed a 4.5-minute boost on Thursday (June 16) to ensure that Avoid the station a piece of debris.
Scientists have estimated that the debris, likely to be the remains Russia’s anti-satellite test in November 2021may have approached the station by 0.5 miles (0.8 km) without the guard maneuver.
A Cygnus capsule currently in orbit arrived in the lab in February. The astronauts filled the spacecraft with trash before its planned destruction in Earth’s atmosphere later this month. But before that happens, NASA wants to make an attempt at re-enhancement, which is supposed to become standard practice for Cygnus rovers.
“Flight controllers at NASA and Northrop Grumman are reviewing data from today’s attempt and will develop a plan for the next steps needed to further develop this enhanced capability as a standard service to NASA,” agency officials wrote in a statement today.
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