Two cosmonauts installing a new telescope mount at the International Space Station this week ran into trouble during their planned six-hour spacewalk.
Fyodor Yurchikhin and Alexander Misurkin initially stopped trying to install a 6-foot camera platform after the platform wouldn't attach according to the Associated Press.
The decision to keep going was made after an hour discussion at Russian Mission Control, located outside of Moscow. The cosmonauts were eventually able to install the platform.
"They reported that when they got the base plate, the attach point, into the bracket where it would be secure, it was their impression that the work station was not oriented properly," NASA commentator Pat Ryan said from NASA's mission control center, according to CBS News.
The duo said the base of the platform was "misaligned" because it was not properly assembled before takeoff. The issue could cause the telescope to point in the wrong direction in the future according to the Associated Press.
Russian engineers are under the impression that they can compensate for the misalignment by "re-orienting" the motorized camera aiming system, also known as the bi-axial pointing platform.
"It is believed that it is misaligned, but it is only out of alignment in the yaw axis," Ryan said. "That can be corrected mechanically after it is installed by maneuvering the bi-axial pointing platform."
The mission was a part of a commercial venture by Urthcast, which planned to launch two cameras to the International Space Station later this year. The cameras were to provide real-time views of Earth to cell phones and other devices according to CBS News.
The venture is now in question due to the misalignment.
This was the 173rd mission to the station for assembly and maintenance since first being constructed in 1998. It was the seventh overall this year according to the Associated Press.
Related Articles:
Russian Hovercraft Scares Crowd After Landing on Beach (VIDEO)
Oarfish Remains Found? 13-Foot Sea Monster Discovered on Spanish Beach (VIDEO)
Sinkhole Swallows Tree in Louisiana, Video Goes Viral
Frankfurt Auto Show 2013: 2014 Chevrolet Camaro Convertible Set for Big Unveiling
Folding Car: Armadillo-T EV Concept Folds For Easy Parking, Storage
See Now: OnePlus 6: How Different Will It Be From OnePlus 5?
