The premier - and most exclusive - place to observe Earth has been successfully latched and bolted to the planet-side port of the International Space Station's new Tranquility node, NASA said on Monday. The Tranquility node was initially installed onto the ISS on Friday, with its cupola observation deck reattached from its …

COMMENTS

House rules Send corrections

This topic is closed for new posts.

Tuesday 16th February 2010 03:57 GMT James 47

torqued in Earth's gravity

D'Oh!

Seriously, what a cool job it must be where you can make this kind of mistake

0 0
1. Tuesday 16th February 2010 10:39 GMT TeeCee
  
  torqued
  
  I'm more interested in how, if you apply a torque of x to a bolt, gravitational effects cause it to become x+n. I need to know how much I should adjust for g the 75 lb/f that I'm supposed to apply to my cylinder head bolts.
  
  0 0
  1. Tuesday 16th February 2010 12:20 GMT No, I will not fix your computer
    
    All torq
    
    If a bolt is under strain (i.e. suspending something) then the torque settings will be different to when it has no strain.
    
    You will need more (or less) moment of force (torque) if the perpendicular force is not zero, torque convers the rotational force to perpendicular force (sort of, not really but it's close enough).
    
    0 0
    1. Wednesday 17th February 2010 11:23 GMT TeeCee
      
      Yes, but....
      
      Surely when in zero gee, nothing's suspended from anything and thus the torque required to remove whatever it is should be lower?
      
      Personally I think NASA are playing fast a loose with terminology and that these bolts were not "torqued" (i.e. tightened to a specified torque setting) but just "done up tight". The torque level associated with "tight" would certainly be affected by whether or not the bloke with the spanner can rely on gravity holding him down while he applies the oof.
      
      0 0
Tuesday 16th February 2010 04:47 GMT Anonymous Coward

Start your protests...

...over the naming as a representation of the farcical failure of online democracy. Yes I was one of the people who voted for Colbert's naming of the node and it really chafes having all this tranquility rammed sideways up the back passage. Please join in and make your voices heard.

0 0
1. Tuesday 16th February 2010 10:33 GMT Richard 81
  
  OK
  
  OK so tranquillity may be a dumb name, but what was the one you were backing?
  
  0 0
  1. Tuesday 16th February 2010 11:56 GMT Anonymous Coward
    
    What's in a name
    
    Keith! They should have called the new module Keith.
    
    Or possibly Derek.
    
    But possibly who gives a sh|t what you call a 10 ton can of air?
    
    1 0
  2. Tuesday 16th February 2010 17:12 GMT Anonymous Coward
    
    Name debate explained
    
    This article explains the earlier post adequately enough.-->
    
    http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/04/15/nasa_node_3_named_tranquility/
    
    I was just commenting about Stephen Colbert's attempt on his comedy show and oft attributed as eminently watchable within these walls-------------
    
    "El Reg has made it on to the <b>best</b> US satirical current affairs show: The Colbert Report. " - Andrew Orlowski
    
    I know I'm resurrecting a dead(?) topic, but hey, it wasn't even in the related stories section which I thought was an omission!
    
    0 0
Tuesday 16th February 2010 10:27 GMT Nick Fisher

Cupola

Talby would approve.

2 0
Tuesday 16th February 2010 10:37 GMT TRT

Doesn't that make it...

Tranquility. Interesting choice. I guess that makes it a moon cupola.

0 0
Tuesday 16th February 2010 10:37 GMT gimbal

All the better

...to watch the world's glaciers stay fixedly in place, with.

0 0