"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