The International Space Station (ISS) and mission control were unable to communicate on Tuesday due to a Nasa power loss, which forced the space agency to use backup control systems for the first time.
Mission control was unable to communicate with the seven astronauts in orbit or give directives to the space station. The Johnson Space Center in Houston’s structure was undergoing renovations when the electricity went out.
Program manager for the space station Joel Montalbano stated that there was no threat to the astronauts or the station, and that backup control systems took over within 90 minutes.
“Around 9 a.m., a power issue in Mission Control Houston resulted in the loss of command, telemetry, and voice from the ground to the International Space Station,” Nasa said.
NASA And Their Back Up
According to Mr. Montalbano, this is the first time Nasa has had to activate these backup systems to assume control. He stated that Nasa intended to fix the problem and resume regular operations before the end of the day.
In the event that a storm or other calamity necessitates evacuations, NASA keeps a backup control center miles away from Houston. However, since the lights and air conditioning were still functional on Tuesday, the flight controllers remained in mission control.
The International Space Station
Since its launch in 1998, the International Space Station has been used as a research platform by NASA astronauts and its international collaborators, including Roscosmos, the European Space Agency, and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency.
The ISS offers a site in the relatively safe environment of low Earth orbit where spacecraft systems that would be necessary for lengthy lunar and Martian missions may be tested. This gives expertise in on-orbit operations, maintenance, and replacement and repair tasks.
