Nov 15 2007
From The Space Library
NASA lifted the ban on spacewalks that it had imposed on 14 November after a spacesuit emitted a smoky smell during a ground test at JSC. The initial investigation had failed to determine the source of the odor. NASA spokesperson Brandi K. Dean explained that NASA personnel had reported a smoky odor on 9 November during a test of a spacesuit selected for use on a future mission. No test participants had been injured. NASA had lifted the ban when experts found no sign of combustion, either in the spacesuit or in the chamber where the staff had tested the suit.
Mark Carreau, “Space Suit’s Smoky Odor Halts NASA Spacewalks,” Houston Chronicle, 14 November 2007; Mark Carreau, “NASA Lifts Spacewalk Ban After Investigation,” Houston Chronicle, 16 November 2007.
Engineers successfully tested the main parachute for NASA’s Constellation Program rockets during a drop test at the U.S. Army’s Yuma Proving Ground, validating the results of a test conducted in September. NASA had designed the parachute system to allow recovery and reuse of Ares-I and Ares-V first-stage boosters. A U.S. Air Force C-17 aircraft flying at an altitude of 16,500 feet (5,029 meters) dropped the main parachute, which measured 150 feet (46 meters) in diameter and weighed 2,000 pounds (907 kilograms). NASA had outfitted the main parachute with a 42,000-pound (19,051-kilogram) weight that simulated the load of the rocket’s first stage. The parachute and all supporting hardware functioned properly and landed safely 3 minutes after the drop.
NASA, “NASA Conducts Second Test of Main Parachute for Ares Rockets,” news release 07-254, 15 November 2007, http://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2007/nov/HQ_07254_Ares_Yuma_Parachute_Test.html (accessed 20 October 2010).
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