alt Hacker NewsCan't they just get things out of the module and paint it fresh? Maybe with some special paint, or with several layers of a paint?
Obviously they can't, it looks like an obvious solution they couldn't have missed. But I wonder why it is impossible to do.
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If you mean on the outside, paints that apply well in vacuum and microgravity probably need to be developed and tested first.
If you mean on the inside, it'd be a lot of time and disruption to devote to maintenance on a station that's already having to spend an increasing amount of time on maintenance instead of science.
The modules have a lot of stuff that has been wired between them over the years, all that would need to be sorted out, consequences understood and more before ever starting the work, and by then it'll be time for the ISS to retire anyway.
Some problems i can see with that:
It might be hard to access the actual pressure hull from the inside (there's probably insulation and padding on top)
If you use paint, you somehow have to get rid of the solvent in it when it dries, which might be a problem when painting a whole module
yeah, why can't they just make astronauts wear goggles, then stop the fans, and tell them to squirt some superglue in the air to let it clog the hole?
Some fire decal while they're at it?
Cardboard's out. No cardboard derivatives.
Paper?
No Paper. No string. No sellotape.
For every complex, difficult and hard problem, there is a simple, easy and wrong solution.
Paint obviously is not the right tool for making seals air tight.