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The Terraforming Information Pages
Live In Orbit: No Grease Gun, No Problem
An Endeavour spacewalker has been given the go-ahead to use an alternative method for cleaning a damaged International Space Station joint.
After losing a tool bag holding two grease guns Tuesday, Heidemarie
Stefanyshyn-Piper used
a "wet" wipe to complete a step that previously employed a grease gun. The wipe
is a
terrycloth mitt coated with the space grease, called Braycote.
The image at left, from Tuesday's spacewalk, shows the wet wipe with one surface
nearly
black with grease.
Today, Stefanyshyn-Piper wiped the outer surface of the joint's steel gear ring
- also visible
in the picture - thoroughly with the mitt. Then she used a scraper to pry up
"pancakes" of
metal shavings pressed against the surface.
Enjoy the Podcast of the Isaac Asimov Memorial Debate
