Crew Completes Spacewalk

For reasons that are not entirely clear to NASA, the space station has tended to drift during spacewalks over the past year or so. The space agency thought the problem might be even worse this time, because one of the gyroscopes that keep the orbiting outpost stable and pointed in the right direction stopped working two weeks ago.

But the space station held steady until the very end of the 4 1/4-hour spacewalk, when it went into a partial, slow-motion cartwheel. The drift lasted far less than the three hours expected.

Flight controllers could have prevented this "free drift" by firing the station's thrusters, but waited to do so until the spacewalkers were out of the way, rather than risk contaminating their spacesuits with toxic rocket fuel.

Right after the spacewalk, one of the two good gyroscopes exhibited a brief but unusually strong vibration. Engineers were keeping close watch over the big spinning wheel, which appeared to be working fine later in the day. Besides the gyroscope that shut down two weeks ago, another broke three years ago.

Laboring 220 miles above Earth, Commander Leroy Chiao and his Russian crewmate, Salizhan Sharipov, plugged in four antennas for a new type of cargo carrier due to fly next year.

They also released by hand a one-foot-long, 11-pound satellite called Nanosputnik, designed for experimental maneuvering by ground controllers.

Sharipov let go of Nanosputnik on the count of two as Chiao photographed the event. "Off it goes," Sharipov said as the satellite floated away with a spin.

During the spacewalk, the space station was empty. With the shuttle fleet grounded since the 2003 Columbia catastrophe, the space station has been home to only two astronauts at a time, instead of the usual three.

Chiao and Sharipov hustled through their work and wrapped everything up more than an hour early, despite extra safety precautions. NASA and the Russian Space Agency instituted the extra measures to avoid a repeat of the problem that occurred during the men's spacewalk in January. Because of a miscommunication during that outing, Chiao got too close to the firing thrusters. This time, the thrusters, which fire automatically when the space station tips out of balance, were disabled for the astronauts' safety.

Engineers have yet to identify the mysterious force that causes the space station to tilt during spacewalks. The space station needs to point in the right direction so that its solar panels continue generating electricity and certain components do not become overheated from exposure to the sun.

The spacewalkers ignored the recent problem that knocked out the gyroscope; visiting shuttle astronauts will tackle that repair job in two months.

The two space station residents have spent the past several weeks dealing with an assortment of breakdowns, including an oxygen generator that still is not working. Over the weekend, they replaced a pump panel that is part of a critical cooling system.

NASA hopes to launch the shuttle Discovery to the space station in mid-May. Technicians had trouble aligning the shuttle and its transporter Monday for the big move from the hangar to the Vehicle Assembly Building, where the booster rockets and redesigned fuel tank are attached. The move was rescheduled for Tuesday.

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Dr Miriam Baltuck: Director, Canberra Deep Space Communication Complex

Dr Miriam Baltuck is Director of the Canberra Deep Space Communication Complex (CDSCC), a NASA facility managed by O.

The CDSCC is part of NASA’s Deep Space Network, a set of three facilities spaced equally around the Earth to allow constant observation of spacecraft as the Earth rotates. The network supports interplanetary spacecraft missions, radio and radar astronomy observations and Earth-orbiting missions.

Dr Baltuck has been honoured by the designation of Minor Planet Baltuck.

O Materials Science and Engineering manages NASA activities in Australia on behalf of the Australian Government. The CDSCC is their largest undertaking.

O enters into contracts with Australian industry for the necessary staff and infrastructure while NASA provides all funds associated with the operation of the CDSCC.

The function of the CDSCC is covered by a treaty-level agreement between the governments of the US and Australia.

Background

Dr Baltuck became Director of the CDSCC in 2006.

Prior to that, she was Director of University Advancement at the Australian National University, in Canberra, in the Australian Capital Territory.

From September 2001-April 2005, Dr Baltuck pioneered a position in Australia as Science and Technology Advisor at the US Embassy in Canberra, assisting US organisations in developing cooperative activities in the Asia-Pacific region.

Prior to this, from mid-1997, she had been NASA's Attaché at the US Embassy in Canberra. Her duties included pursuit of cooperation in NASA Programs with Australia, Oceania, and Southeast Asia.

Prior moving to Australia in 1994, Dr Baltuck was seconded to the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy to chair twenty-five federal agencies in the development of a National Earthquake Loss Reduction Strategy, which was forwarded for implementation to the US Federal Emergency Management Agency in 1995.

In 1986 Dr Baltuck joined NASA to manage NASA’s Solid Earth and Natural Hazards Branch. While in this assignment she secured resources for 11 new flight projects including the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM), considered the most universally useful Shuttle flight in NASA’s history.

Dr Baltuck has also been Professor of Geology at Tulane University in New Orleans, Louisiana, USA, a visiting assistant professor at the University of Paris, France, and worked on the US Deep Sea Drilling Project.

Her graduate work included geologic field mapping, blue water oceanographic research cruises and laboratory geochemical analyses.

Academic qualifications

Dr Baltuck has been awarded a:

Bachelor of Science with Honours from the University of Michigan, USA

Doctorate in Earth Sciences by the University of California San Diego’s Scripps Institution of Oceanography, California, USA, in 1982.

Achievements

Dr Baltuck's achievements include:

minor planet 5701 designated Baltuck, in 2005

US Department of State Superior Honor Award for outstanding successful negotiations for the US-Australia Free Trade Agreement in 2004

NASA Office of External Relations Director Award, 2003-1998 (each year, inclusive)

Royal Aeronautical Society (Australian Division) Lawrence Hargrave Medal, for presentation on Living in Space in 2001

Australian National Press Club Telstra Medal for presentation on Life Beyond Earth; NASA’s Solar System Exploration Program in 2000

Outstanding Annual Performance Appraisals across 1990-97 - highest possible rating every year this system was applied while a US civil servant

NASA Office of Mission to Planet Earth Director’s Award in 1997 and 1996

NASA Group Achievement Award - NASA Science Institutes Planning Team in 1996

US Government Senior Executive Service certification awarded in 1995

NASA Exceptional Achievement Medal, for leadership as SIR-C and SRTM Program Scientist 1995

Director Performance Award, twice in 1994

Selection into first cadre of NASA Senior Executive Service Candidate Development Program participants (58 selected out of 1 100 applicants) in 1993

LAGEOS II Program Scientist certificate of accomplishment in 1993

Group Achievement Award (LAGEOS--Laser Geoscience Satellite) in 1992.

Learn about the facility: Canberra: NASA Deep Space Complex (ACT).

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Airlines Flying Old Planes, Not Buying New Ones

According to Reuters, the "legacy" airlines are flying old planes and not ordering any new ones. The youngest fleet belongs to Continental—their planes have an average age of 10 years. So why aren't airlines buying any new, more fuel efficient planes?

Apparently, its just not worth the money to most carriers, because the next wave of better airplanes might make ones purchased today obsolete. Sort of like an iPod. Only bigger.

The lack of orders puzzles some experts. They note that U.S. airlines lag European airlines whose aircraft are more fuel-efficient and meet higher noise and emissions standards.

"The average age of the fleet is amazing, and it's time to start serious renewal," said airline consultant Michael Roach.

Roach said some carriers may be delaying orders in hopes of catching the next wave of narrow-body technology that is not due for several years.

"I think there's a lot of reluctance on the part of the carriers to go out and buy a lot of an already obsolete aircraft," he said.

Of the six so-called "legacy carriers" in the United States -- those with a hub-and-spoke network and fly internationally -- Continental Airlines has the youngest fleet with an average age of 10 years old, according to Fitch Ratings data.

In the last 10 years, Continental has replaced its aging, gas-guzzling DC-9s, DC-10s and MD-80s. As of Dec. 31, Continental had firm commitments for 82 aircraft from Boeing.

"We're been very disciplined over the last 10 years," said John Greenlee, Continental's managing director of fleet planning. "It does pay to have that advantage as a younger fleet."

Northwest, which just emerged from bankruptcy this year, has the oldest fleet, with an average age of 18 years. They're looking to replace their DC-9 aircraft, which are at least 25 years old. This is good because we get freaked out when we're in a plane that has ashtrays with cigarette butts still in them, ya know? That's just us.—MEGHANN MARCO

U.S.