International Space Station’s oxygen generator broken

International Space Station’s oxygen generator broken

NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) has reported that the primary oxygen generator aboard the International Space Station has developed problems, which might not be resolved unless spare parts are shipped to the ISS through a supply flight in mid-June. This means that the two-man crew aboard the space station would have to rely on backup sources for generation Oxygen.

NASA has also clarified that the International Space Station has enough reserve oxygen to last for weeks and the problem will not affect the normal functioning of the crew in the space. NASA spokesperson Allard Beutel said in a statement that this newly developed problem “is definitely not a safety issue at all, because we’ve got oxygen in three different supply areas”. However, NASA has not clarified how many days worth of oxygen is available on the ISS.

The machines causing the problems are supplied by the Russians and have given problems since sometime now. NASA says that they are trying to troubleshoot the issues with the oxygen generators. However, some parts need to be replaced for the fixation of the problem.

NASA on the other hand is also thinking about the next generation of space vehicles to take man to moon again and perhaps to mars. NASA chief Michael Griffins recently announced his plans to fast track the development of the post-Space Shuttle crafts as they plan to retire the three Space Shuttles in 2010.