Shuttle Astronauts Complete Successful Seven-Hour Spacewalk
08 July 2006
Fix space station transporter and test boom for possible shuttle repairs
Washington -- Astronauts aboard the space shuttle Discovery, which docked with the International Space Station (ISS) July 6, conducted a successful spacewalk of more than seven hours on July 8 to fix a transporter unit aboard the space station, and extensively tested a new boom extension that can make repairs to the shuttle itself if necessary, according to NASA.
Once outside the shuttle, mission specialists Piers Sellers and Mike Fossum quickly installed a device on the ISS that will prevent a blade from cutting a power and data cable that links the mobile rail transporter to the space station. The transporter travels along the ISS's truss structure and is used for construction and repair of the space station.
During the longest portion of the spacewalk, Sellers and Fossum rode out to the end of a 15-meter boom extension that is attached to the space shuttle's robotic arm, also 15 meters in length. They conducted a variety of tests and simulations to evaluate how the boom extension would function during an actual repair of the space shuttle's heat shield.
The failure of heat shielding led to the destruction of the shuttle Columbia and the loss of its crew in 2003, grounding the entire space shuttle program for two years.
The testing often required the two astronauts to undertake different tasks and even "bounce" on the boom extension to determine its rigidity and relative oscillation. At Mission Control in Houston, according to an Associated Press report, spacewalk officer Tomas Gonzalez-Torres described their work as similar to painting a house on top of a rickety ladder.
Despite the intricacy and careful choreography of their work, the two spacewalkers often sounded as casual as two men repairing a roof. They also found moments to comment on the spectacle of space and the Earth, turning 352 kilometers below them.
At one point, Fossum told Sellers to look for the "moonrise over the port wing" of the shuttle. When Mission Control told British-born Sellers that Britain was in view, he comments, "Oh, my goodness. It's a beautiful day in Ireland."
While the spacewalk was under way, other members of the space shuttle crew transferred supplies and equipment to the space station. (See related article.)
One of Discovery's seven crewmembers, European Space Agency astronaut Thomas Reiter of Germany, will become the third member of the space station crew. Reiter, a veteran of the Russian Mir space station, joins the current ISS team of Russian Commander Pavel Vinogradov and NASA Flight Engineer and Science Officer Jeffrey Williams.
Space shuttle Discovery will remain at the space station until July 14, with two more spacewalks scheduled.
Additional information on the flight of space shuttle Discovery and the current crew of the International Space Station is available on the NASA Web site.
For ongoing coverage of the U.S. space program, see Science and Technology.
(The Washington File is a product of the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
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