Russian Thrusters to Turn Space Station

NASA is relying on Russian-made thrusters to periodically turn the international space station following a new malfunction with the U.S. motion-control system, officials at Cape Canaveral said.

Flight controllers detected spikes in current and vibration in one of the station’s three operating gyroscopes in November. They will not be used for major maneuvers for at least the next month, said flight director Joel Montalbano. The station must be periodically turned to prevent the exterior from getting too hot from the sun.