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Balky space station computers revived

	Atlantis astronaut James Reilly (L) and John Olivas (R) work near the retracted solar array on the P6 truss during the third spacewalk of the mission in this view from NASA TV June 15, 2007. Russian cosmonauts aboard the International Space Station were trying on Saturday to kick-start components of a critical computer system that were still down, but most parts were up and running, raising hopes they would not crash again.
	Spacewalker Danny Olivas is attached to Atlantis' robot arm as he works to repair a displaced thermal blanket on the shuttle's left orbital maneuvering system pod, June 15, 2007.
	In this image from NASA TV Atlantis astronaut Pat Forrester (L) attached to the end of the International Space Station's robotic arm and fellow spacewalker Steve Swanson (C) work to retract the P6 solar array, June 13, 2007.
	Atlantis astronaut Pat Forrester sees his reflection on the exterior of the International Space Station in this image from NASA TV as he makes his way to his next work station during a spacewalk, June 13, 2007.
	The International Space Station's new S3/S4 truss solar array is shown fully deployed with the Canada robot arm in the foreground and the Earth in the background in this image from NASA TV, June 12, 2007.
	Space shuttle Atlantis' payload bay is visible with the Earth in the background in this view from NASA TV, June 12, 2007

Balky space station computers revived

HOUSTON (Reuters) - Balky computers on the International Space Station
were fully revived on Saturday, but crew members admitted the problem had
worried them and served as a reminder that spaceflight is dangerous.

Station commander Fyodor Yurchikin and flight engineer Oleg Kotov rewired
the bank of computers to bypass a power outlet that NASA and Russian space
officials believe may have caused them to crash on Monday.

The computers, which are German-made and use Russian software, are critical
because they keep the $100 billion space station properly positioned for solar 
power generation and communications.

Long-term failure could force abandonment of the space station, a 16-nation 
project that has been continuously manned since November 2, 2000.

"In the very beginning, we were a little bit worried about the status of the 
computers because, you know, this was the first time the whole set of Russian 
computers crashed at once," Kotov said in a crew press conference from space.

"This morning we finished our trouble-shooting activity and now we have a 
good set of computers."

The computers will be tested to make sure they are working well enough for the 
space shuttle Atlantis to leave the station.

It docked with the orbital outpost on June 10 and has been keeping it stable 
during the computer crash, but is scheduled to depart on Tuesday. It can stay 
another day if needed.

U.S. astronaut Sunita Williams, who will return to Earth on Atlantis after more 
than six months on the station, said the computer problems showed that safety 
in space is not a given.

"We take spaceflight for granted, and it still is pretty darned dangerous," 
Williams told reporters at Johnson Space Center in Houston. "We're living in an 
environment that is not really friendly for humans. It's a serious place and we're 
doing serious business and serious science up here."

Problems with the computer system started as astronauts installed the newest 
piece of the station's exterior spine, a massive beam that holds a pair of solar wing 
panels and a rotary joint so the wings can track the sun for power.

So far, the best explanation for the crash is a subtle change in the space environment 
as the station has grown, said NASA's space station program manager Mike Suffredini.

As the station flies 220 miles above Earth, it plows through streams of charged particles 
which create friction and build up a static voltage charge on the outside.

"As the station gets bigger, this potential continues to grow," Suffredini said. "I think 
we're going to find system sensitivities as we change the space station."

The U.S. space agency, has 12 more major components to install on the station before 
it is finished. The work needs to be completed by 2010 when the U.S. shuttles, the only 
vehicles capable of hauling the large pieces and assembling them in orbit, are retired.

The Atlantis crew already is staying an extra two days to ready the station for the arrival 
of new laboratories built by Europe and Japan, scheduled for launch in 2008 and 2009.

A fourth spacewalk, scheduled for Sunday, was added after managers decided to have 
astronauts fix a protruding insulating blanket on one of the shuttle's engine pods.

Engineers were concerned the blanket, which tore free during Atlantis' June 8 launch, 
could leave the shuttle vulnerable to heat damage during the plunge through the atmosphere 
prior to landing, currently set for Thursday.

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