Flaw May Force Space Station Redesign

NASA has discovered a serious flaw in the planned $30-billion space station Freedom that may force the agency to redesign the centerpiece of the U.S. program for manned exploration of the solar system, it was reported today.

The New York Times quoted officials of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration as saying Freedom could not be built as designed because its vast array of parts would start to break down before construction of the space station was finished.

The 500-foot-long, 290-ton station is intended to serve as an orbiting outpost for astronauts who will conduct scientific studies and explore the solar system.

The newspaper said NASA investigators discovered early this year that construction of Freedom would only be 60% to 70% complete before astronauts would have to launch a program of preventive maintenance, inspections and repairs.

NASA has already spent $3.9 billion on design studies and the construction of prototype parts. The Bush Administration has requested $2.5 billion for work on the project next year after receiving a budget of $1.8 billion this year.

If Freedom is built according to its current design, space-walking astronauts will have to spend about 2,200 hours on maintenance each year, the NASA experts told the paper.