Technical glitch forces changes on International Space Station

Some non-critical systems shut down after cooling issue

INT'L SPACE STATION – NASA says an emergency spacewalk may be needed because of a technical problem on board the International Space Station.

NASA believes the problem is with a valve that's part of the station's cooling system. The system circulates ammonia outside to keep the station cool, but a malfunction caused part of the system to shut down on Wednesday.

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The station has two redundant systems. The other system is now handling all of the cooling, but because of the increased load, some non-critical systems on the station have been shut down.

NASA says the six person crew currently on the ISS is not in any danger.

The space agency says it's evaluating what to do next but says an emergency spacewalk may be needed to repair the valve. Astronauts did three spacewalks back in 2010 after an earlier failure in the same cooling system. 

Stay with Local 6 for updates on this developing story.


About the Author

John Ambrogne is an executive producer for News 6 and has been with WKMG-TV since 2012. John graduated with a degree in broadcast journalism from Syracuse University and has covered breaking news and major events in Central Florida since 2002.

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