Gyroscope Shuts Down Aboard Space Station

A problem with a circuit breaker aboard the International Space Station shut down a gyroscope that helps keep the research outpost properly positioned in orbit, NASA officials said in Melbourne.

While the station can be safely steered with its two remaining gyros, the loss of the third device may affect planning for shuttle Discovery’s mission to the orbital complex in May -- the first planned shuttle flight since the Columbia disaster in February 2003.

The gyroscopes work by spinning, creating momentum that is used to position the station for temperature control, solar-power generation and other operational requirements without tapping the limited supply of fuel for rocket thruster burns.