Russian Vehicle Delivers Spacesuit Repair Kit To ISS

A Russian spacecraft has successfully delivered new supplies to the ISS. Crucially, its payload is meant to prevent a repeat of the aborted spacewalk of earlier this month. Says the article:: "The cargo ship is loaded with nearly 3 tons (2.7 tonnes) of food, fuel, hardware and science experiment equipment for the six-person crew of the station's Expedition 36 mission. Among its cargo is a set of tools intended to help the astronauts investigate and patch up the spacesuit that malfunctioned during a July 16 spacewalk outside the orbiting laboratory."

Re:

[polar red]

for a geeky site, the continuous use of non-standard measurment units is maddening !

Re:

[Kidbro]

2.7. The metric ton is a bit larger than the long ton. Why they decided it was OK to introduce an extra significant in the conversion is beyond me though.

Re:

[Kidbro]

Ugh. I got confused. The number "3" would not be a long ton, but a short ton [wikipedia.org]. The point still stands that 2.7 would be the metric number.

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[gl4ss]

Ugh. I got confused. The number "3" would not be a long ton, but a short ton [wikipedia.org]. The point still stands that 2.7 would be the metric number.

the summary might just mean that it's _nearly_ 3 tons (2.7 is nearly 3). of course typing it out like that sounds fucking stupid, since why not then just say 2.7 because the whole "nearly 3 tons" is a waste, but it wouldn't be the first time.

Re:not helpful !

[Zocalo]

Assuming that they are not using "ton" as a measure of volume, then take you pick which two out of these three possibilites they mean:

• 3 US short tons (at ~907kg each), which is ~2721kg
• 2.7 UK long tons (at ~1016kg each), which is ~2743kg
• 2.7 metric tonnes (at 1000kg each), which is 2700kg

FWIW, the UK Weights and Measures Act 1985 excludes from use for trade the ton and the term "metric ton" for "tonne" in an attempt to avoid such confusion over ambiguous and incorrect usage of "ton", "tonnes" and "metric tons".

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[osu-neko]

It doesn't help that there's over a dozen other definitions of "ton", several of which are measures of volume rather than mass.

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[__aaltlg1547]

UK units are irrelevant because the UK has no space program. There is no reasonable interpretation for "3 tons" to mean 3 long tons.

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[the_other_chewey]

UK units are irrelevant because the UK has no space program.

Oh? [google.com]

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[__aaltlg1547]

If you can't get to space without hitching a ride on someobody else's rocket, that's not a space program.

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[khallow]

One tonne [wikipedia.org] is one metric ton by definition.

Spacesuit repair kit?

[lxs]

So is that a little tin with a piece of sandpaper, a tube of rubber cement and some patching material? Do they hold the suit in a tub of soapy water to find the leaks? Must be messy in microgravity.

Re:Spacesuit repair kit?

[GNious]

Person 1 wears the suit
Person 1 farts
Person 2 sniffs out the leak

simples

Re:

[KingMotley]

I call dibbs on wearing the suit!

Re:Spacesuit repair kit?

[VortexCortex]

I call dibbs on wearing the suit!

But the leak isn't that--
So then you have to--
Trapped in a fart bubble.

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[tlhIngan]

Person 1 wears the suit
Person 1 farts
Person 2 sniffs out the leak

Except the problem with the suit is water collecting in the helmet.

So not only are you farting in a spacesuit that's keeping the air in, you're going to drown after breathing in your ass-air the entire time.

Re:Spacesuit repair kit?

[Hognoxious]

Really, all this talk of how primitive the Russians are. Give them some credit.

Half of the kit is a roll of clingfilm; you smooth it onto the suit and watch for the bubble forming.

The other half is a roll of duct tape.

So?

[lennier1]

Bicycle Repair Men, but in space?

Re:

[account_deleted]

Comment removed based on user account deletion

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[qaz123]

It's not a weight it's a mass

Re:nearly 3 tons - so?

[ThreeKelvin]

If we're talking metric tons, then they're a measure of mass, not weight. Mass and inertia of an object doesn't go away just because it's in a weightless environment.

Re:

[drinkypoo]

How is it relevant to mention a weight of 3 tons in a weightless environment??

It didn't start in a weightless environment. There's an approximate cost per pound to orbit somewhere between 5k and 10k USD per. It's relevant so you can do the math

That's why

[JustOK]

That's why I'll never accept a job as an astronaut. Why take a job were you have to wear a suit?

Missing the obvious.

[Seumas]

I think we can all safely assume Snowden was onboard and is now safely aboard the ISS, under Russian protection?

Draw straws to test the suit....

[syntheticmemory]

Repair instructions provided by Hal 9000.

Iron man

[stabiesoft]

So where was iron man musk's space-x to the rescue ship????

Duct Tape

[PPH]

n/a