Computers crash on board space station

Work is underway to repair all three computers on the International Space Station.

The entire system, including its back-up, crashed following a minor glitch.

Life support systems on the ISS are operating normally and the crew is not in danger. Contact to the vessel is being maintained through the shuttle Endeavour which is delivering a robot arm to the station.

If Endeavour was not docked there, ground controllers would be cut off from the station's crew.

Mission operations representative Milt Heflin told reporters: "It's almost like being in a simulation. We're into something here we don't understand. They think it's probably software related. But that's going to be part of the troubleshooting process."

Endeavour's crew is scheduled to leave the station on Saturday, but tests on the robot arm have had to be delayed and the mission could be extended for a further day.