International Space Station crew members lost communications with ground controllers in Houston for a time on Tuesday, but everybody is fine, NASA said.
NASA attributed the problem to a faulty data relay system, according to a report from Agence France-Presse. Flight controllers were updating software when the relay system went out, NASA said.
A backup computer took over, but it wouldn’t let the station pass along communications using NASA’s tracking and data relay satellites, AFP reported.
Houston ground controllers re-established communications later as the space station flew over Russia’s ground stations, AFP said.
On Nov. 2, the International Space Station celebrated its 10th year of human occupation. Since 2000, it has been visited by 204 people, AFP reported.
• Cheryl K. Chumley can be reached at cchumley@washingtontimes.com.
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