Astronauts Unable to Repair Lab Instrument Disabled by Bubbles

Columbia’s astronauts struggled Friday to fix a prime laboratory instrument that has been crippled by air bubbles.

Three of the seven members of the shuttle crew spent most of their seventh day in orbit working on the trunk-sized electrical chamber, which is designed to separate components of cells, including worm DNA.

The unit’s cooling pump would not work because of bubbles in a water line.

“Bubbles are very tenacious in space,” NASA mission scientist Robert Snyder said.

The astronauts tried three times to remove the bubbles by squirting water from syringes through the line. Ground controllers debated what to do next.

Meanwhile, the guppylike Japanese Medaka fish, jellyfish, goldfish, newts and other creatures aboard the shuttle apparently did not rate very high with 11 children who asked questions of three of the crew for a cable TV educational show. The youngsters were more interested in scary space stories, space sickness, space baths, space sleeping and space entertainment.

Instead of giving descriptions, crew members demonstrated what they do for fun. Astronaut Richard Hieb squeezed liquid through a straw to form a big, floating bubble and then gulped it down. Commander Robert Cabana tossed M&Ms; into the air, and then he, Hieb and pilot James Halsell Jr. dove after the candies.