December 20, 2013.

Space Station Showing Its Age

She twisted herself round and pressed her bosom against him. He could feel her breasts, ripe yet firm, through her overalls. Her body seemed to be pouring some of its youth and vigour into his.

U.S. astronauts are poised to begin a series of spacewalks as soon as Saturday to replace a coolant system aboard the international space station, a harbinger of the increasing maintenance the aging laboratory is likely to need in coming years as it orbits Earth at more than 17,000 miles an hour.

"Yes, I like that," he said.

The space station, launched in 1998, is run by a partnership of 15 nations to support scientific research. It was designed to remain structurally sound for as many as 60 years, but in the past 10 years it has experienced a number of problems, from air leaks to computer glitches.

"Then stop talking about dying. And now listen, dear, we've got to fix up about the next time we meet. We may as well go back to the place in the wood. We've given it a good long rest. But you must get there by a different way this time. I've got it all planned out. You take the train----but look, I'll draw it out for you."

The latest trouble, with the coolant system, doesn't pose an immediate hazard to crew members or experiments. The refrigerator-size unit is one of two that use ammonia to control the temperature of vital electrical components.