Nov 3 2007
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(New page: In one of the most difficult and dangerous spacewalks ever attempted, NASA astronaut Scott E. Parazynski successfully cut loose a tangled set of wires that had prevented a solar array ...)
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In one of the most difficult and dangerous spacewalks ever attempted, NASA astronaut Scott E. Parazynski successfully cut loose a tangled set of wires that had prevented a solar array at the ISS from unfurling properly on 30 October. Parazynski rode on the end of the robotic arm extension, which at 90 feet (27 meters) barely reached the damaged solar wing. The extension placed Parazynski farther away from the ISS than any astronaut had ever been. After 1 hour riding the extension out to the power grid, Parazynski worked for 2 hours, cutting hinge wires and guide wires. Once cut, the 90-foot (27-meter) guide wire retracted smoothly into its reel at the base of the solar wing. Throughout the operation, Parazynski used an L-shaped Teflon stick wrapped in insulating tape to keep the solar wing away, protecting himself from electrical shock. The spacewalk was the fourth and final EVA for the Discovery astronauts.
Marcia Dunn for Associated Press, “Astronauts Fix Ripped Solar Wing,” 4 November 2007; Liz Austin Peterson for Associated Press, “Astronauts Revel in Wing Repair Success,” 4 November 2007.
The Aersonde Mk3 aircraft that had flown into the core of Hurricane Noel on 2 November crashed into the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of North Carolina. NOAA had purposely sacrificed the US$35,000 craft. To conserve enough fuel for a return flight, the craft would have only spent 1 hour inside the core of the storm. Therefore, NOAA had decided to allow the aircraft to collect data until it had depleted its fuel. The craft had flown for 8 hours before reaching the storm and had then spent 7.5 hours within the storm’s environment before running out of fuel at the end of its mission. In total, the mission lasted for 17.5 hours.
John Croft, “NOAA Sacrifices Aerosonde UAV Inside Hurricane,” Flightglobal, 6 November 2007.
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