Tim Kopra breaks hip.
http://blogs.chron.com/sciguy/archives/2011/01/key_discovery_astronaut_injured_in_bike_accident.html
Key Discovery astronaut injured in bike accident
It was only last week that NASA was able to set a launch date for the oft-delayed flight of space shuttle Discovery, slotting the mission for Feb. 24.
Those delays were due to technical issues with the vehicle. Now there may be a problem with one of the mission's key astronauts, Tim Kopra.
Bill Harwood, of CBS News, reports that Kopra sustained a non-life-threatening injury while riding his bicycle on Saturday. Sources told Harwood that Kopra may have broken his hip. If surgery is required it's not a minor process.
Kopra is the mission's lead spacewalker, so he has received a ton of specialized training for this flight. NASA no longer trains backup crews as it did during the Apollo era, and a replacement, even a veteran, would require time to learn and practice spacewalk moves.
NASA
Kopra trains in the waters of the Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory in southeast Houston.
It is unclear how long such expedited training would take for Kopra's two spacewalks, how long it will take Kopra to recover, and how this might affect the final flight of Discovery.
NASA originally said it would complete the shuttle program by the end of September, 2010. Combined with Discovery's delays and the probable addition of another flight later this summer, the program's end may not come until a year later. Each additional month the program continues costs between $150 million to $200 million.
On a side note, as a fellow bike rider in the Clear Lake area, I wish Kopra a speedy recovery and urge drivers to be mindful of cyclists.
Key Discovery astronaut injured in bike accident
It was only last week that NASA was able to set a launch date for the oft-delayed flight of space shuttle Discovery, slotting the mission for Feb. 24.
Those delays were due to technical issues with the vehicle. Now there may be a problem with one of the mission's key astronauts, Tim Kopra.
Bill Harwood, of CBS News, reports that Kopra sustained a non-life-threatening injury while riding his bicycle on Saturday. Sources told Harwood that Kopra may have broken his hip. If surgery is required it's not a minor process.
Kopra is the mission's lead spacewalker, so he has received a ton of specialized training for this flight. NASA no longer trains backup crews as it did during the Apollo era, and a replacement, even a veteran, would require time to learn and practice spacewalk moves.
NASA
Kopra trains in the waters of the Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory in southeast Houston.
It is unclear how long such expedited training would take for Kopra's two spacewalks, how long it will take Kopra to recover, and how this might affect the final flight of Discovery.
NASA originally said it would complete the shuttle program by the end of September, 2010. Combined with Discovery's delays and the probable addition of another flight later this summer, the program's end may not come until a year later. Each additional month the program continues costs between $150 million to $200 million.
On a side note, as a fellow bike rider in the Clear Lake area, I wish Kopra a speedy recovery and urge drivers to be mindful of cyclists.
posted by Dean Pennington II at 1/25/2011 08:45:00 PM
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