Spacemen prepare for third spacewalk
Houston, Texas With two of their three spacewalkss completed, the cosmonauts aboard the joined shuttle-station complex focussed Thursday on acquiring the new Columbus laboratory up and running away.
NASA prolonged Atlantis’ missionary station by a mean solar day on Wednesday to afford the gang more time to do work on the science laboratory, Europe’s main part to the international space station.
The activating process has existed running a little behind because of data processor problems, but flight managers believe they’ve rigid the bug.
The gang woke up Thursday to “View Yourself” from the musical “King Oliver!” Astronaut Stanley Love gave thanks his married woman, children and out family, who he jested “may be impression there’s one few Love on Earth this Valentine’s Day.”
“I’d like to secure them that it’s great to be up here, and I’ll be home shortly,” he articulated.
Love was one of two spacewalkers who assisted install Columbus on Monday. He and spaceman Rex Walheim are scheduled to take part in the mission’s third junket on Friday to tie a brace of scientific discipline experiments to the outside of the European faculty.
The brace also plan to visit a discredited handrail that may have made glove jobs for spacewalkers in past missionary posts. Spacewalking spacemen have riven their baseball mitts three multiplication over the past twelvemonth on sharp station edges.
If they have clocked, Walheim and Love will besides perform some other inspection of a packed joint that is demanded to change state one of the infinite station’s two sets of immense solar wing. NASA has existed studying the job for calendar months, and wants a few more pictures.
The same joint on the former side of the place unexpectedly shut down due to a data processor glitch early Thursday, but NASA chop got it doing work again.
In add to disbursement time Thursday readying for that spacewalk — and basking some much-needed off-duty time — the work party plans to chit with German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
Her ruralist, astronaut Hans Schlegel, accomplished his first spacewalk on Wednesday after an unwellness forced missionary post managers to force him from Monday’s expedition.
Looking and vocalizing fit, Schlegel and Walheim realized their primary job halfway through the nigh seven-hour spacewalk: removing a low nitrogen tank from the infinite station and installation a full one deliberation 550 pounds. The hitting nitrogen gas is called for to redden ammonia through the station’s chilling lines.
Neither Schlegel nor anyone else at the European Space Agency or NASA will say what was wrong with him. Schlegel, 56, has articulated it’s a private medical matter.
Atlantis will rest at the infinite station until Monday. That makes for a 13-day flight, with touchdown now set for Wednesday. The shuttle’s thermal shielding has existed completely vindicated for re-entry.
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