Comments on: Muscle power saves the day for Hubble camera

Applying elbow grease to free a stuck bolt, a shuttle spacewalker saved the day and freed an aging camera, clearing the way for installation of a $132 million replacement.

[Michichael]

Awesome. I look forward to seeing what this camera can put out. :3

[kcotham]

Fantastic! I love the quote about being five years older than when he came to work. I also like the statement about unlocking MORE of the mysteries of the universe. Great stuff, good work NASA and good work Grunsfeld!

[SKIAK]

The torque limiter was limiting the applied torque to 45 inch-pounds, but the bolt would break at 57.1 foot-pounds? Must be a typo.

[patch991]

Good Catch!

[mcswell2001]

So why would the bolt be stuck? Obviously not rust... I vaguely recall that certain metals "weld" themselves over extended periods in vacuum. Is that what happened here?

[kcotham]

Some metals will do that, I can't remember which ones. If I remember correctly, there was a wristwatch made of titanium that would do that if the back weren't opened occasionally. I want to say it was an Omega, but I can't remember. Being in a vacuum had nothing to do with it. I also seem to remember that certain dissimilar metals will do that if bound together for long periods of time, but alas, I can't remember which.

[cbmarkwardt]

Yes, cold welds are more common in the vacuum of space. Whether or not that's what happened, it's hard to tell. I have a colleague working on the ACS repair, it's all quite coo!

[anOPINIONATEDsob]

Incredible, the things the people of Earth can do if just they lay down their weapons and concentrate on common goals. Brave souls are the Provence of every culture and country and the rest of us are blessed indeed that they risk their lives for our benefit. The journey has been costly indeed, but I think any who have been lost would not hesitate to do it again.

[Mad-Man-Moon]

I am filled with envy. I would literally give anything to experience what those men are experiencing as we speak. Years from now, when questions are answered and more questions are generated by Hubble and the WF3 camera, these men can smile knowing that they and their team made it possible.

[catbus99]

"Drew the plumber" - our new national hero! Thank you Atlantis and thank you, NASA! (And, while I have the chance, thank you Mr. Harwood for a great piece of science journalism.)

[lewisfield]

This is the stuff of science and a true, United States, space program. Searching the universe and learning of its wonders (God's great gift to us believers) is an incredible pursuit. Why we would squander huge sums of treasure in an "international" space station eludes me. I love the idea of sending vehicles ever outward to extend our knowledge, but I despise funding politically expedient, diplomatically motivated crap like that space junk we call an "international" station. How sickening that my tax dollars fund trips for foreigners to a NASA glory toy. Oh, how I wish those bureaucrats and politicians would quit cowing to world opinion/political correctness, but instead cherish American greatness and go for the heavens.

[kcotham]

You have a very narrow world view. You obviously do not understand the purpose of the international space station either. Do a little reading before you post such tripe next time.

[h00se]

Go NASA! I watched this on the internet today and it blew my mind.
As for lewisfield...a space station is a far cry from disgrace when you consider whats happened in the middle east for the past 6 years. However, it does help stomp out those non-christians... which you probably support.

[Pookaboy]

I think this is fantastic! And @ lewisfield - I wish I too had 20 million to pay the russians to take a ride to the ISS. If you had that kind of money, YOU could go. I enthusiastically support my tax money going to the research ongoing onboard the ISS. The weather research alone is well worth it!

[DubleDeuce]

<<great support we got from the ground getting Wide Field in to unlock the secrets of the universe.">>

Now that Hubble will soon be up and at 'em again with ever increased effectiveness, God will have to find another yet another hiding place to keep from being "discovered". OH! The joys of random skirting around from hither to yon, now abandoned, in the age of hi tech space eyeballs.

Did God EVER have an absolute expectation of privacy?

[alan_06]

Yeah he do and he already found a safest place where humans would never search for in the first place :) Interesting part is, When you discover, you'll become one.
PS. I know it's off topic but couldn't resist.

[krollins83]

How did we not work a WD40 joke in there? Seriously?

Great stuff though... I love the part about how Houston was kinda like "yeah, we'll just have to reconnect it if this doesn't work, and the $132M lens will need to be retrofit to work on my Canon DSLR.... good luck".

[royc]

WD40?

Why would they use WD40 up there?

It was the 40th mix they tried when they were working on something to Displace Water to un-freeze parts that were rusted together. Or at least that is what a machinist friend told me and I just verified on wd40.com.

WD-40 literally stands for Water Displacement, 40th attempt. is their number 1 FAQ.

[AlexanderNY]

Talking Muscle Power

You, folks, probably would be interested in reading the article: ?Muscle power drives battery-free electronics?, published by Dr. A. Bell in EDN Magazine almost 4 years ago. The idea seems to be quite productive: (link follows http://www.edn.com/article/CA6283833.html )

[NoVista]

Great article! Science, engineering, heroes and elbow grease. Love it!

[oomloff]

About the stuck bolt? Yes, certain metals can spall and then gall, but usually during the process of torquing with bad machining or over torque during assembly. One of the reasons for torque specification is to prevent this problem. A look at machined surfaces under a microscope can reveal irregularities that may promote the problem. Stainless steel is a notorious galling metal but all metals that reach a high heat/friction point are susceptible. Vacuum has nothing to do with the problem.

[mcswell2001]

It's at least been claimed that vacuum does have something to do with it, see e.g. pg. 121 in "The Logic of Microspace
By Rick Fleeter." (This is available on Google book search, but the URL is loooong... I found it using the search terms "vacuum weld satellite", it comes in near the top of the hits.)

[paul van velzer]

Vacuum does have something to do with it, in that the finest laer of oil or grease that is airborne, contaminated the surface of just about everything on earth, is outgassed quickly in vacuum. This layer of contaminant will inhibit cold welding. All flight hardware is cleaned thouroghly, and being personally involved with the bakeout of WFPC2 hardware, I can say that that hardware is cleaner than any flight hardware ever launched. Making it a prime candidate for cold welding.