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Drive motor indicates engaged BY WILLIAM HARWOOD STORY WRITTEN FOR CBS NEWS "SPACE PLACE" & USED WITH PERMISSION Posted: September 13, 2006 Engineers troubleshooting an apparent alignment problem with one of two drive motors in a mechanism needed to rotate new solar arrays on the international space station apparently have resolved the glitch, officials said late today. Details were not immediately available, but sources said the problem may have been triggered by a subtle computer commanding issue. Late today, a NASA spokeswoman confirmed the drive motor in question had been successfully engaged more than three hours after the problem first cropped up, delaying initial deployment of the new solar arrays. Engineers now plan to press ahead with checkout of the solar alpha rotary joint, rotating it through 360 degrees using the now-engaged motor, but it's not yet clear when they might begin the initial deployment of the station's new solar arrays. The 2,500-pound solar alpha rotary joint, or SARJ, is the centerpiece of the newly installed P3, or port three, truss that was attached to the left side of the station's main solar power beam Tuesday. It is designed to rotate outboard solar arrays so the panels can stay face on to the sun as the station circles the globe. Engineers had hoped to begin the initial deployment of the new P4 solar arrays attached to the SARJ this evening, extending the panels a few feet to relieve compression after years of storage. The Atlantis astronauts are scheduled to fully deploy the 115-foot-long solar wings early Thursday. But during SARJ checkout this afternoon, engineers ran into problems with one of two redundant drive motors. One drive lock assembly, or DLA, successfully rotated the P4 arrays 180 degrees in an afternoon test. But when engineers attempted to carry out a 360-degree rotation with the redundant DLA, a sensor indicated an apparent misalignment in the gear train. A procedure was executed to clear the problem, but the misalignment indication remained. Flight controllers then decided to hold up the initial array deployment while they assessed what, if anything, needed to be done.
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VIDEO:
PORT 3/PORT 4 TRUSS KEEL PIN REMOVED AND STOWED 