Are the ISS solar panel repairs temporary or perminent?

Question

I'm sure many of you have been following the news about the International Space Station. About a week ago, I think it was, while they were unfurling one of the solar panels, they found one of them had a tear. But just recently, Scott Parazynski successfully repared it.

But I was wondering, is that a perminent repair? Or will the ISS need to get a new solar panel to replace that one at its earliest convenience? I understand it's fully operational now, but doesn't that repared section have a greater chance of being damaged in the future than pieces of solar panel that never broke?

Answer 1

My first thought was "WOW!! I'm glad I was not the one who ripped that thing, He or she ripped that super high dollar solar module and someone's head is going to roll". But after they said it was ripped when they unrolled it. I understood it was just a freak thing and ripped all on it's own and no one was at fault.

If you add up how many hundreds of millions of dollars it would cost to send a crew up to replace it you would understand that jerry-rigging is a completed project.

Something that a lot of people don't understand is there is no wind or anything in space. So there is no weight to make it sag and no wind to blow it loose. No rain to make it rust so a wire hanging loose will be no problem.

Good job and well done

And thank you for saving the tax payers a hundred million dollars in tax money.

Answer 2

1

Answer 3

The repair is intended to be permanent. The tangled wires were cut away and replaced by jury-rigged "cuff links" to bridge the gap.

Answer 4

I believe it is intended to be a permanent repair.