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Russian engineers continue computer troubleshooting BY WILLIAM HARWOOD STORY WRITTEN FOR CBS NEWS "SPACE PLACE" & USED WITH PERMISSION Posted: June 13, 2007 Three critical computers in the Russian section of the international space station that help control the lab's orientation remain out of action today following problems Tuesday. Among other things, the station uses the computers to fire Russian rocket thrusters to adjust the station's attitude when U.S. gyroscopes are insufficient. The control system computers work in concert, comparing results as a safeguard against bad data or results. On Tuesday, amid work to attach a new 36,000-pound U.S. solar array segment to the station, the computers apparently crashed because of an as-yet-unknown problem. Russian engineers then attempted to reboot the machines to recover from the problem, but they were not successful. Additional attempts today failed as well, officials said. Maintaining the proper orientation is critical for station operations to ensure its solar arrays generate enough electricity and to maintain temperatures within allowable limits. The Russian computer system also controls a variety of other systems, including the Elektron oxygen generator. Life support systems, however, can be commanded independently. At present, the control moment gyroscopes in the U.S. segment are maintaining attitude and the shuttle Atlantis' rocket thrusters can be used if larger motions are required. But eventually, the Russian computer system must be restored to operation. It is not yet clear whether the Russian computer system suffered a hardware failure or some sort of software problem. One engineer said a hardware failure that could take out all three attitude attitude control computers was unlikely and speculated the Russians eventually would sort out the problem and restart the computers. Unlike NASA, the Russian space agency does not have its own communications satellites. To troubleshoot the computer problem, Russian engineers must wait until the station is within line-of-site of Russian ground stations to downlink telemetry. That will not happen again until early Thursday.
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