Computers Still Down Aboard Space Station BRIEFLY: AMERICAS:

Jun 15, 10:04 AM

Current Headlines: The Russian computers that help keep the International Space Station in orbit were still largely out of commission Thursday, a glitch that could imperil the $100 billion space laboratory. NASA officials expressed confidence, however, that the problem could be resolved.

xThe station depends on Russian and American computer systems to maintain the positioning of the station as it orbits Earth. The U.S. system runs the network of gyroscopes that provide stability and the Russian system controls thrusters that correct the orientation of the station when the gyroscopes alone cannot do the job.

On Thursday, Russian engineers were poring over fresh data from the station and working to bring up the systems, NASA said.

If the problem is not corrected, the station could be unable to maintain the best position for charging its solar arrays when the gyroscopes become overloaded, and, at worst, could cause tumble. In the worst case, astronauts would have to abandon the station.

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