The Space Station is leaking

[rvassar]

Story

Not good. Looks like they're loosing about 2 torr a day.

[Da Gimp!]

I guess you can't just spray WD-40 on all the fitting to see when the motor races - huh

[rvassar]

Actually, we did something similar to find vacuum leaks on our equipment at the USGS. We used helium though, and we were trying to keep pressure out, not in.

[rvassar]

Shouldn't be too difficult to isolate to one compartment. Just close all the bulkheads, and figure out which room is loosing air. Then do a status check on each through hull valve.

I'm not sure what kind of leak detectors they'll have onboard. Most of the ones I'm familiar with require the leak to either throw detectable gas at the detector, or admit gas that will be collected and detected elsewhere.

Wray, do you use a helium mass spectrometer to find freon leaks in a system under vacuum? At the USGS we had one we could attach in between the turbomolecular pump and the roughing pump of our hi-vac (10^-6 torr minimum... usually 10^-10!) system. We'd then waft a little helium over each suspect joint. The mass spec only detected helium, so when some leaked in through a faulty joint, it produced an alarm. Probably not too useful in this case. You'd have to wander around outside with the detector to find the leak.

I seem to remember there being some kind of ultrasonic leak detector.

My money is on a valve seal. A nick, or erosion, or a particulate speck bridging the seal....

[rvassar]

Originally posted by Wray
An electrician had allowed a wire to touch the copper, and had arced through it.

Dang pesky electricians!

[H ED S]

Rob he was just making a little phosgene (sp) gas.

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[Ferraridriver]

Wonder if they carry JB Weld in their supplies?

[John Alan]

Originally posted by rvassar
I seem to remember there being some kind of ultrasonic leak detector.

Yep... them things work real good...
Used at work on big units...
Seal em and inflate to 6 psi indicted...
Set of Headphones and a gun like device...
Walk around it pointing at every seam and joint...

Sounds like a waterfall...
even a tiny leak that barely will bubble with soap solution...

[Truckman]

Originally posted by H ED S
Rob he was just making a little phosgene (sp) gas.

Ah, yes...Phosgene gas...Made the VC do the Funky Chicken...Ben

[geddy's uncle]

....traveling @ 1,000's of miles per hour.

probably punched an outer hull, and somehow just didn't smack anything more noticable.

some chewing gum would fix it if you could find it.