Posted: Wed, Jan 5, 2005, 8:45 AM ET (1345 GMT)
A balky oxygen generator on the International Space Station has broken down again, but does not pose an immediate problem for the station's two-man crew. The Russian-built Elektron oxygen generator show down on January 1 and several efforts to restart it have failed, raising concerns the unit may have permanently failed. The problem appears similar to previous breakdowns of the unit in recent months, when air bubbles formed in the unit. For the time being the Expedition 10 crew is tapping into oxygen reserves, primarily in the form of oxygen "candles". There is enough backup supplies of oxygen to last nearly 60 days, enough time until the next scheduled arrival of a Progress cargo spacecraft in early March.
