NASA astronauts completed the first of three spacewalks this morning, as part of mission STS-115. Mission Specialists Joe Tanner and Heidemarie Stefanyshyn-Piper exited the station at 0917 GMT (6:17 am EDT) and completed several tasks that will prepare for the installation of the new P3/P4 truss. As part of their 5-hour spacewalk, the astronauts installed power and data cables, and released the launch restraints that held the huge solar arrays safe during launch. The solar arrays will be completely unfurled on Thursday, and will double the station’s electricity.
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Atlantis Links Up with the Station
The Space Shuttle Atlantis caught up with the International Space Station this morning, linking up at 1048 GMT (6:48am EDT). After 2 hours of preparations, the airlock was opened, and the astronauts were greeted by the current station residents. As one of the first tasks of the day, the Atlantis crew used their robotic arm to transfer the P3/P4 integrated truss from the shuttle’s cargo bay to the robotic arm on the station. The STS-115 crew will conduct three spacewalks during their mission to connect and configure the truss for permanent operations.
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STS-115 Brings More Power to the Station
STS-115 is an ambitious mission that returns the focus of human spaceflight to building the International Space Station, bringing new capabilities to the ISS. While a song by John Lennon asserts that revolution will bring power to the people, it will be a new set of solar arrays and its ability for rotation that will provide more power to the space station.
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Atlantis Scheduled for August 27 Launch
NASA has announced that the space shuttle Atlantis is scheduled to lift off on August 27, 2006. If all goes well, the shuttle will blast off from Cape Canaveral at 2230 GMT (4:30 pm EDT) and return to the International Space Station, finally continuing its construction. Over the course of three spacewalks, the shuttle crew will install the P3/P4 truss onto the station, which contains a set of giant solar arrays, batteries, and electronics.
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NASA Assigns STS-122 Crew
NASA today announced the astronaut assignments for the upcoming STS-122 space shuttle mission, tentatively scheduled for October 2007. The commander will be Stephen N. Frick, and the pilot will be Alan G. Poindexter. The mission specialists will be Rex J. Walheim, Stanley G. Love, Leland D. Melvin and European Space Agency astronaut Hans Schlegel. During this mission, the space shuttle will deliver the European Space Agency’s Columbus laboratory to the International Space Station.
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A Day of Rest for the Astronauts
After eight days in space, and three spacewalks, the crew of the space shuttle Discovery will be taking the day off. Yesterday’s spacewalk went well, with Mission Specialists Piers Sellers and Mike Fossum testing out methods of repairing damaged shuttle heat shields. During the mission, Sellers lost one of the caulking spatulas used to spread on the repair compound – it flew out of Discovery’s payload bay area and was lost in space.
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Inflatable Habitat Reaches Orbit
Robert Bigelow’s dream of a thriving space tourism industry took a significant step forward today with the launch of the Genesis 1 experimental spacecraft. Bigelow Aerospace reported that the prototype habitat was successfully lofted into orbit atop a converted Russian inter-continental ballistic missile. Once in orbit, it extended its solar panels and began to inflate. The rocket launched at 6:53 pm Moscow Time, and the company released a series of statements over the course of the day reporting that everything’s going well.
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Astronauts Wrap Up Third Spacewalk
Astronauts Piers Sellers and Mike Fossum wrapped up the third and final spacewalk for space shuttle mission STS-121. During the 7-hour, 11-minute spacewalk, they demonstrated techniques for repairing the shuttle’s heat shield if it was damaged during launch. The mock repairs were made using a special “space caulk gun” and several spatulas to spread on the caulking materials. Discovery will detach from the station on Saturday to return to Earth.
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Astronauts Take Out the Trash
The Italian Leonardo module was carried to the International Space Station filled with more than 3,175 kg (7,000 pounds) of clothing, food and supplies. The shuttle and station astronauts emptied it out, and today they’re going to fill it back up again with 1,800 kg (4,000 pounds) of unneeded hardware and trash. Mission Specialists Mike Fossum and Piers Sellers will also prepare themselves for tomorrow’s spacewalk – the third and final of the mission. Discovery is now halfway through its mission.
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Second Spacewalk Wraps Up
Mission specialists Piers Sellers and Mike Fossum spent the day outside the International Space Station today, completing the second spacewalk of space shuttle mission STS-121. During their 6-hour, 47-minute excursion, the astronauts completed the installation of a spare thermal pump outside the Quest Airlock, and performed maintenance on the mobile transporter. The third and final spacewalk for the mission is scheduled for Wednesday, when astronauts will test out different methods to repair the shuttle’s heat shield.
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