HAUNTED by the science-fiction image of an astronaut drifting helplessly in
space, NASA last week successfully tested a miniature jet pack that will let
drifting astronauts return to the International Space Station under their own
power.
The jet pack unit, called SAFER, is a backup for the tethers that will hold
astronauts in place while they work outside the ISS. The snag is that SAFER
works only with American spacesuits, not Russian ones. Yet Russian suits are the
only type that can be used on the ISS until a module with a large airlock is
installed sometime next year.
The…
