NASA has spent so much time on building the station with solar panels but did not consider an add on which was a power unit, so match that logic with a deadline and you got something even better than what NASA started out with for the space station's power unit becoming a seperate unit entirely which also could be jetisoned away if necessary. So why not start planning the stages to bring that to the station as soon as possible and make the main power unit that while having a backup power unit the one which has failed and can be repaired over time. Maybe a guess, but something some female forgot to do was to sweep out the joint properly knowing this could slow down a successful flux (of power).
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Astronauts Install Solar Power Beam
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But the spacewalkers' main focus was on finishing the grueling task of moving the massive beam to its new home on the far left end of the station. The 176 1/27 -ton girder began its 145-foot journey on Sunday.
Parazynski and Douglas Wheelock guided astronauts inside the station as they used a robotic arm to hook up the beam to the orbiting outpost's backbone. The spacewalkers then began installing bolts to hold the beam in place and connecting wires to provide power. They also must remove protective covers from the girder.
"Oh I love this job," Parazynski said as they worked 220 miles above southeast Asia. "Beautiful view."
The girder's solar panels are folded up like an accordion and will be unfurled later Tuesday. They will extend 240 feet from tip to tip when outstretched.
Given the problems with the right rotary joint, NASA needs the power generated by the newly installed solar panels to proceed with the planned December launch of the European Space Agency's science lab, named Columbus.
That lab and a Japanese lab set to be delivered early next year will latch onto the new Harmony module that Discovery delivered last week.
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