End of its tether

NASA ENGINEERS are examining what remains of the Italian Tethered Satellite System, to discover why the tether broke during the craft's deployment (above) from the Space Shuttle Columbia/STS75 on 26 February (Flight International, 6-12 March). While the satellite and most of its 20.7km-long, 2.54mm-thick, braided copper, nylon and Teflon tether re-entered the atmosphere on 19 March, the Columbia returned with a short length of tether and the reeling mechanism in the retracted deployment mast inside its payload bay.

Source: Flight International