01/06/2004: 
Technologica
Space Station Experiencing Drop In Air Pressure
or "Houston, we have a problem... again.
from WKMG Florida
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- The International Space Station is experiencing a slow, steady drop in air pressure, and American and Russian flight controllers are investigating possible causes of the leak.
The valves on the U.S. side of the space station checked out fine. The crew then turned their attention to the valves inside the Russian compartments and also the Russian cargo ship docked to the complex.
They found nothing amiss.
Mission Control first noticed the drop in pressure Jan. 1 and said the data showed a daily decline of about 2 millimeters of mercury. As of Monday, the pressure had declined a total of nine millimeters. That is equivalent to about one-quarter of a pound per square inch, said NASA spokesman James Hartsfield.
Normal pressure inside the space station is 14.7 pounds per square inch, the same as at sea level.
Back in November, a loud noise that sounded like a flapping sheet of metal was reported by the crew. The air pressure remained stable, however, and all the other systems seemed fine, too. NASA has yet to determine what caused the noise.
NASA also is monitoring a malfunctioning gyroscope used for motion control and a broken oxygen generator. Spare parts are at a premium because of the nearly yearlong grounding of the space shuttle fleet, the result of the Columbia tragedy.
