Update: NASA Loses Touch With International Space Station

Hevva

Shipwrecked, comatose, newsie
Aug 2, 2011
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Update: NASA Loses Touch With International Space Station



We hope their spaceship knows which way to go.

The International Space Station (ISS), a football-field-sized testament to the good things that come from co-operation and ingenuity, has spent the past few years orbiting planet Earth and sending back various packets of data concerning a wide variety of space-based scientific experiments. While experiments are ongoing, it is being prevented from telling anyone about them at the present moment because NASA has lost touch with it.

Owing to a malfunction in the main data relay system, the only comms link currently connecting the ISS to the rest of humanity is a series of Russian ground stations equipped with the right kind of recievers. At the moment, NASA has given no estimate for when the main relay and the station's connection to its satellite communications network might be re-established.

In a statement, NASA said that it was able to confirm that all six current ISS residents - three Russians, two Americans, and a Canadian - were doing well as of the station's last check-in with Russian ground control. While they had them on the phone, NASA says that it also instructed the team's Expedition Commander, Kevin Ford, to "connect a backup computer" and in doing so, presumably set the station on the road back to open channels with Mission Control in Houston.

Given their history with space calls, it's probably safe to assume that between them, NASA and the four other national agencies that had a hand in creation of the space station will have the relay back up and running before long. How did this happen, though? I wonder how it must feel to be up there, in that giant tin, without direct communications with home. Is it a beautiful kind of loneliness, or more of a frightening one? Maybe none of us will ever know. But hey - at least we're safe from orbital Barenaked Ladies jam sessions [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/122109-ISS-Commander-Records-Song-With-Barenaked-Ladies-From-Space] for the time being.



Source: Space.com [http://www.space.com/19853-space-station-contact-lost-nasa.html]



Update: After a few hours down, communications between the ISS and NASA have now been restored [http://edition.cnn.com/2013/02/19/us/nasa-international-space-station/index.html]. It turns out the culprit behind the malfunction was a software update; congratulations to everyone who had that joke brewing in their head.


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DrunkOnEstus

In the name of Harman...
May 11, 2012
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Ground control to Major Tom...

Seriously though (as if that wasn't) this isn't cool. I have to admit that if I had to die, floating away in the void of space would be near the top of the list of ways to do it.
 

V3rtig0

New member
Mar 3, 2012
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Glad to know it was a relatively simple problem that was solved. Also loved the Bowie reference. Hope they took their protein pills and put their helmets on ;)

DrunkOnEstus said:
Ground control to Major Tom...

Seriously though (as if that wasn't) this isn't cool. I have to admit that if I had to die, floating away in the void of space would be near the top of the list of ways to do it.
Uh, if you mean, stuck on a spaceship headed for nowhere, then I'd have to disagree. It'd be just like dying of starvation/dehydratation/oxygen deprivation, except you're on a spaceship.

Now, floating away in just your spacesuit, a la Major Tom(or at least that's how I always pictured it, hearing the song), that'd be cool, dying within a vista of the beauty of space and planets. If dying was cool, that is.
 

Griffolion

Elite Member
Aug 18, 2009
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Made me think of this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=NiwIK_CtTIM#t=54s
 

AstaresPanda

New member
Nov 5, 2009
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its kinda sad that new like this, is no where to be found on BBC main page for example. But other celeb related bullshit is.
 

Adam Jensen_v1legacy

I never asked for this
Sep 8, 2011
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Not to sound like a paranoid schizophrenic, but what if while the comm systems were down, the crew was infected with a body snatching virus.
 

PhantomEcho

New member
Nov 25, 2011
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"Windows Has Updated! You must restart your computer before changes will take effect."

"No! Dammit Windows! Don't automatically restart!"

"Windows will automatically restart in 30 seconds..."

"Ugh... Remind me in 4 hours!"


... - 4 Hours Later - ...

"Gotta take a leak... I'll be right back..."


[Transmission Lost...]
 

Strazdas

Robots will replace your job
May 28, 2011
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Software update, and this is why you dont fix whats not broken, yes im looking at your stupid software programmers who think more like apple = better.
 

Candidus

New member
Dec 17, 2009
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Not a peep from the mainstream televised media about this. Just the same vapid Euro-or-celeb related bullshit. Pretty disgraceful.

PhantomEcho said:
"Windows Has Updated! You must restart your computer before changes will take effect."

"No! Dammit Windows! Don't automatically restart!"

"Windows will automatically restart in 30 seconds..."

"Ugh... Remind me in 4 hours!"


... - 4 Hours Later - ...

"Gotta take a leak... I'll be right back..."


[Transmission Lost...]
An excellent joke to be sure...

But for some reason... I can't stop gritting my teeth.
 

FalloutJack

Bah weep grah nah neep ninny bom
Nov 20, 2008
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Hah! Station contact and then regained indeed. How very convenient! I know what really happened...