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In this view from NASA TV, the space
shuttle Atlantis is seen from a window of the International Space Station.
(Xinhua Photo)
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BEIJING,
Sept. 19 (Xinhuanet) -- A chemical leak of potassium hydroxide caused by
overheating oxygen-generating unit on the international space station prompted
the NASA briefly to declare Monday morning the first emergency ever aboard the
8-year-old station.
The Atlantis crew pulled an alarm and donned protective gear
after smelling an oxygen generator overheat, spreading smoke and a burned-rubber
smell and leaking potassium hydroxide, an irritant which is used to power
batteries.
Potassium hydroxide is a corrosive that can cause serious
burns and can be harmful if inhaled.
They cleaned up the spill with towels, and a charcoal
filter scrubbed the irritant out of the air. Within a couple of hours, life
aboard the station 220 miles above Earth was nearly back to normal.
NASA said the leak of the chemical, used in an
oxygen-generating unit, was not life-threatening, and the crew cleaned up the
spill.
While the oxygen generator serves an important function on
the station, astronauts can also replenish the station's air by burning special
oxygen-producing candles or taking oxygen from the large storage tanks on
board.
Three manned spacecraft are now in orbit: the space
station, the shuttle Atlantis and a Russian Soyuz spacecraft that blasted off
from Kazakhstan on Monday morning carrying three new crew members to the
station.
Shuttle Atlantis six crew members are set to touch
down early Wednesday at the Kennedy Space Center after 11 days in space.
During their mission, the astronauts successfully
delivered and installed a pair of 115-foot-long solar wings that will generate
power for the space station.
The next assembly mission, slated to launch in December,
will rewire the space station's power system. Enditem
(Agencies)
