NASA has made public that one of their key Astronauts have experienced a glove slit! Following this, NASA scientists have postponed and rescheduled their Astronaut’s upcoming Space Walk that was to be held relating to the “International Space Station Assembly Mission.” This proves one thing for sure that NASA is not taking any chances this time, not even a single loophole they would be leaving so as to make this ISS mission a huge success and a landmark for the mankind.
Veteran Spacewalker, Robert “Beamer” Curbeam, experienced a cut in his right hand glove when he was handling bundles of protective external shielding which was to be transported from the Space Shuttle to the International Space Station (ISS).This information was given to the media people through NASA’s spokewoman representative – Brandi Dean.
The slit that was incurred in his right hand glove was not malign enough to pose any threat to Beamer’s life support system and his Astronaut Suit. It came into light when a routine check up was done, which is infact an overall Space suit check up, and the glove revealed the benign flaw.
Let us get an in-depth overview of the gloves worn by the Spacewalkers. The Astronaut’s space suit gloves are made up of five layers. These gloves are bulky and used during Extravehicular activities by the Spacewalkers. The outermost layer is infact the lamination layer that envelops the glove to an extent and acts as a protective sheath that provides grip and thermal protection to the Astronaut.
The second layer comprises of Vectran fiber that is very tough and resistant to harsh handling, it protects the glove from scrapes and cuts. The third layer is a nylon covering which gives a perfect fit for the Astronaut’s hand. The fourth layer is infact an airtight rubber bladder that keeps the air and oxygen well intact inside the innermost part of the glove. The 5th layer provides room for the Astronaut’s hand inside the glove by keeping the rubber bladder away from his hand.
The inspectors analyzed that the cut had penetrated the Vectran layer in his glove. Dean also commented to relate that fact that -”It’s a real strong material. You probably couldn’t cut through it with most scissors.” The Vectran (a synthetic fiber) is fabricated from Liquid Crystal Polymers. It is infact a lot similar to Kevlar, which is widely used in the bulletproof jackets and vests. It was also used in the cushioning airbags for the well talked about Pathfinder Mission to Mars.
ISS Deputy Manager Kirk Shireman announced that they have taken serious measures to judge the exact time and instant when the incision to the glove took place. They have incorporated video footage so as to pin point the place and time of this glove cut. The outcome is still under doubts and they are still not sure what exactly caused that cut. He added that - “The cut was kind of inside of the thumb,” Shireman said. “It’s not an obvious place for even Curbeam to see, so it’s certainly not obvious from a camera perspective. We went through hours and hours of videotape and we narrowed it down to, I think, a three-hour period in which the glove could have been cut. We cannot narrow it down to one specific place. While the cut was not life-threatening, the agency is not taking any chances.”
In a telephonic interview Dean made it clear that –“NASA is going to start asking the spacewalkers to do regular visual checks of their gloves and look for holes and if they see something they’ll call off the spacewalk and have them come back so they can be sure it’s not cut through the bladder.”
Expedition 15 lead spacewalk officer Daryl Schuck has been of great help for the Astronauts and he is strongly of the opinion that the future Space Shuttle mission, STS 118, may see no flaws at all as the crew members have been trained fully as per the maximum industry standards.
Shuck also opined that -”They’ve been briefed on how we’re going to incorporate that into the real-time plan.” NASA has been confident enough to inform this mishap to the Russian Space Agency too. This was done in the wake of the thoughtfulness that the Russians may take precautions in advance. They are scheduled for a Space Walk that would be taking place next week.
NASA researchers also opined that -”Whatever can cut a U.S. glove can most likely cut a Russian glove as well. The Russians are very cooperative in their listening obviously because their interest, just like us, is in the safety of their crew.” I would comment that they should better be conducting quick and regular checkups in regards to the space suits and Shuttle handlings.
Via: Foxnews
