Malfunction international space station requires commandeered to fix it

Asked the space agency and Aviation Administration (NASA) of the pioneers of the International Space Station (ISS) implementation of the functioning space mission to repair a serious malfunction in a computer station.

He was a reserve computers for some automated systems may fail to work first on Friday. While the mainframe is still intact, as well as the six astronauts station crew, but the holidays puts the task of ensuring the supply of scheduled Monday at risk.

This inactivated computer called the "MDM" is one of more than a dozen computers distributed outside the International Space Station, which is used to guide the command of many systems.

Officials say the holidays does not affect the scientific work or any other work conducted by the astronauts, three from Russia, two Americans and Japanese.

Agreed task managers on Saturday that the task of the workflow space necessary computer aggrieved to replace, but NASA did not set a date for the completion of the task, while the officials pointed out that the implementation may be in next week's time, and one of the tasks that practicing astronauts performed before journey into space.

The officials wanted an extra day before to establish whether the situation is safe enough to proceed with the launch of the capsule, "SpaceX Dragon" on Monday as planned, NASA said it will decide on Sunday whether to postpone that support mission.

It is noteworthy that the capsule "SpaceX" loaded with more than two tons of equipment and supplies are scientific experiments to the International Space Station, which is waiting to take off in Cape Canaveral, Florida US. Note as a late-month basis for the original launch date for other reasons.

NASA paid for the company "Space Exploration Technologies' proprietary capsule" SpaceX "as well as the company" Orbital Sciences Corporation "to deliver rations space station. Russia, Europe and Japan as you deliver shipments from time to time. The space shuttles, NASA holds the transfer of most of the space station shipments before her retirement in 2011.

In the case of a date to quit remained as scheduled (4:58 pm on Monday, according to local time -20: 58 according to the International Time), the capsule will reach the orbiting laboratory next Wednesday. Aviation officials and wants to make sure there is sufficient provision for the space station before committing to the launch of the capsule.

Referred to as the International Space Station building in 1998 under a joint international cooperation led by the US, Russia and funding from Canada, Japan and ten European countries, and at a cost of one hundred billion euros, which includes at least four laboratories containing equipment to conduct extensive research different areas.