NASA says it is looking into a problem with a malfunctioning cooling pump on the International Space Station, but there is no immediate danger to the six crewmen on board.

Agency spokesman Kelly Humphries says the problem may eventually be serious, but is not an emergency at the moment.

Humphries says the faulty external pump stopped working but is now up and running. It is part of one of the two cooling systems aboard the orbital outpost. He says as a precaution, the three Russians, two Americans and one Japanese crew members aboard shut down some minor operating systems to reduce the power load.

Engineers are trying to figure out if this is hardware or software problem.

(AP)