MacLean Says Crew Lucky After Unknown Object Pierced Radiator of Shuttle
Posted on: Tuesday, 10 October 2006, 15:00 CDT
LONGUEUIL, Que. (CP) - Canadian astronaut Steve MacLean says the crew of the space shuttle Atlantis was lucky that only a radiator was pierced during his recent 12-day space mission to the International Space Station.
An unknown object, possibly a micrometeorite, caused a small puncture in a radiator which was mounted to one of the shuttle's cargo bay doors.
MacLean says if one of the shuttle's coolant tubes had been severed, Freon gas would have escaped and that would have disabled one of two cooling systems.
The astronaut says that problem could have cut the mission short.
MacLean says despite certain "issues" with the shuttles, they get a bad rap and he would not like to see the three remaining shuttles retired in 2010 as planned.
The space shuttles were developed in the 1970s and first flown in 1981.
Source: Canadian Press
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