Aero-News: Quote of the Day

ANN's Quote of the Day usually derives from current news, though we reserve the right to pick quotes out of history that have a bearing on the day's events and issues.

Sometimes, you'll find them timely and in keeping with the content of the day's news... and sometimes, they'll just be thought-provoking.

Reader suggestions and comments are welcome... and if particularly intriguing, timely, or poignant, may themselves become future Quotes of the Day.

Let us hear from you, folks!

Aero-News Quote of the Day

"This is not a crew safety issue. There are still two functioning gyros on orbit and we have the Russian propulsion system (from the Soyuz spacecraft which is currently docked with the ISS) to maintain attitude."

Source: NASA spokesman Kelly Humphries, reporting a failure of a stabilization gyroscope aboard the International Space Station. The gyro is one of four aboard the ISS that prevent it from tumbling and keep its solar panels oriented toward the sun. There are four gyros on board the ISS. This is the second failure. Kelly confirmed that one of the remaining gyros is troublesome -- that its instrumentation indicates it needs more lubrication. Humphries says the station can operate on as few as two gyros. But, he says, if a third gyroscope fails, the ISS will be left to depend on thruster rockets aboard the docked Soyuz spacecraft.

FMI: www.spaceflight.nasa.gov/station