Astronauts find a problem at space station

Possible metal shavings are found inside a joint that turns solar panel wings, NASA says.

CAPE CANAVERAL - Spacewalking astronauts doing construction work outside the international space station Sunday made a disturbing discovery: what appear to be metal shavings inside a joint that is needed to turn a set of solar power panels.

The rotary joint, 10 feet in diameter, has experienced intermittent vibrations and power spikes for nearly two months. Space station managers were hoping a thermal cover or bolt might be hanging up the mechanism, which would have been relatively easy to fix, and were disheartened when Daniel Tani radioed down that metal shavings were everywhere.

"It's quite clear that it's metal-to-metal grating or something, and it's widespread," Tani said.

"Wow," said his spacewalking partner, Scott Parazynski.

The shavings resembled small flakes and were clinging to the joint as if to a magnet, Tani said. "It looks like a dusty table that you'd want to dust at home," he said.

He used tape to dab up some of the shavings. The flecks will be returned to Earth aboard Discovery next week for analysis.

The rotary joint, launched and installed four months ago, controls the huge solar panel wings on the right side of the space station, to make sure they're facing the sun. The joint for the left solar wings is working fine.

The right rotary joint will remain in a parked position as much as possible until the problem is solved, said Mike Suffredini, NASA's space station program manager. Flight controllers were trying to determine whether any more inspections or even repairs will be needed in the coming week, or whether they can continue to work around the problem after Discovery's departure.

It's possible that the debris, whatever it is, could cause permanent damage, Suffredini said. Another possibility is that the joint could stall in a position that would diminish solar power. That's why he intends to move it as little as possible, for now.

"We have lots of time to work through this problem. It's not an immediate issue," Suffredini said at a news conference Sunday.

The problem overshadowed the rest of the space walk, the second of five planned for Discovery's construction mission.

The spacewalkers' first job was to disconnect bolts and cables holding a 35-foot-long, 35,000-pound girder to the orbiting complex, so astronauts working inside could pull it away with the robot arm. It was the first time the girder and its attached solar power wings were moved since being installed seven years ago, and the job went well.

The girder will be reattached to another spot on the space station Tuesday, and its solar wings unfurled to their full 240 feet across. NASA considers this one of the most difficult construction jobs ever attempted in orbit.

Mission managers formally cleared Discovery for re-entry on Nov. 6, saying its thermal shielding is in good, solid condition.

[Last modified October 29, 2007, 00:52:03]