{"version":"1.0","provider_name":"Ireland News Beep | NewsBeep.com","provider_url":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie","author_name":"NEWSBEEP","author_url":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/author\/newsbeep\/","title":"In 1996, astronauts paid out 19.7 kilometres of cable from the shuttle Columbia to test electricity generation in orbit \u2014 the system reached 3,500 volts before an electrical arc burned through the tether and sent the satellite drifting away from its ship.","type":"rich","width":600,"height":338,"html":"<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"0LsK8FI32H\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/619219\/\">In 1996, astronauts paid out 19.7 kilometres of cable from the shuttle Columbia to test electricity generation in orbit \u2014 the system reached 3,500 volts before an electrical arc burned through the tether and sent the satellite drifting away from its ship.<\/a><\/blockquote><iframe sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/619219\/embed\/#?secret=0LsK8FI32H\" width=\"600\" height=\"338\" title=\"&#8220;In 1996, astronauts paid out 19.7 kilometres of cable from the shuttle Columbia to test electricity generation in orbit \u2014 the system reached 3,500 volts before an electrical arc burned through the tether and sent the satellite drifting away from its ship.&#8221; &#8212; Ireland News Beep | NewsBeep.com\" data-secret=\"0LsK8FI32H\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" class=\"wp-embedded-content\"><\/iframe><script>\n\/*! This file is auto-generated *\/\n!function(d,l){\"use strict\";l.querySelector&&d.addEventListener&&\"undefined\"!=typeof URL&&(d.wp=d.wp||{},d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage||(d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage=function(e){var t=e.data;if((t||t.secret||t.message||t.value)&&!\/[^a-zA-Z0-9]\/.test(t.secret)){for(var s,r,n,a=l.querySelectorAll('iframe[data-secret=\"'+t.secret+'\"]'),o=l.querySelectorAll('blockquote[data-secret=\"'+t.secret+'\"]'),c=new RegExp(\"^https?:$\",\"i\"),i=0;i<o.length;i++)o[i].style.display=\"none\";for(i=0;i<a.length;i++)s=a[i],e.source===s.contentWindow&&(s.removeAttribute(\"style\"),\"height\"===t.message?(1e3<(r=parseInt(t.value,10))?r=1e3:~~r<200&&(r=200),s.height=r):\"link\"===t.message&&(r=new URL(s.getAttribute(\"src\")),n=new URL(t.value),c.test(n.protocol))&&n.host===r.host&&l.activeElement===s&&(d.top.location.href=t.value))}},d.addEventListener(\"message\",d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage,!1),l.addEventListener(\"DOMContentLoaded\",function(){for(var e,t,s=l.querySelectorAll(\"iframe.wp-embedded-content\"),r=0;r<s.length;r++)(t=(e=s[r]).getAttribute(\"data-secret\"))||(t=Math.random().toString(36).substring(2,12),e.src+=\"#?secret=\"+t,e.setAttribute(\"data-secret\",t)),e.contentWindow.postMessage({message:\"ready\",secret:t},\"*\")},!1)))}(window,document);\n\/\/# sourceURL=https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-includes\/js\/wp-embed.min.js\n<\/script>\n","thumbnail_url":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/tss1r-deployment-nasa-sts075-701-087-768x787.jpg","thumbnail_width":600,"thumbnail_height":615}