A scary break in communications between NASA on the ground and NASA in space comes during a routine software update. All on board are doing well.
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Update 12:44 EST: NASA says that communications have been restored:
Communications have been restored with the space station effective 11:34AM Central.
-- Johnson Space Center (@NASA_Johnson) February 19, 2013
At 9:45 EST this morning, during a software update to the International Space Station's flight computers, one system malfunctioned causing a loss in communication between NASA on the ground and NASA in space. According to Expedition 34 commander Kevin Ford, "the station's status was fine and that the crew was doing well," NASA was able to learn as the ISS flew over Russian ground stations a bit before 11 am. According to CNN's Stephanie Gallman, NASA will be able to communicate with the astronauts on board each time the ISS passes over Russian ground stations, every 90 minutes or so. According to Gallman, "This is not an unprecedented event, but any loss of communications not good." There are currently six men living on the space station, three Russian cosmonauts, two Americans, and one Canadian.
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