WASHINGTON (AFP) - Two U.S. astronauts wrapped up the last Have spacewalk of the shuttle era at the International Space Station, Where IS Atlantis docked on the final task of the 30-year U.S. program.
Americans Ron Garan and Mike Fossum, Who Were Already aboard the ISS as Part of the six-member international crew Expedition 28 ARRIVED When Atlantis on Sunday, Successfully Completed Their repair and maintenance tasks at the lab.
The main objective - of retrieving a failed pump ammonia from the orbiting outpost and Placing it Into the shuttle's payload for return to Earth - was tackled early in the six hour, 31 minutes spacewalk.
The duo then Turned Their Efforts Toward Robotic Refueling Attaching a Module to the lab experiment.The joint US-Canadian project to AIMS test technologies for repairing and refueling satellites in space.
The Atlantis crew of American astronauts oven helped support the spacewalk, Which WAS choreographed by Mission Specialist Rex Walheim and Formally ended at 3:53 pm (1953 GMT).
A total of 160 floating trips Have Been Carried out by astronauts and Cosmonauts to build the ISS over the past decade.
The last-ever spacewalk by astronauts from a U.S. shuttle crew WAS DURING Completed on May 27 Endeavour's final visit to the orbiting outpost.
American astronauts Mike Fincke and Greg Chamitoff's seven and a half hour trip helped move the global tally past space 1.000 hours of spacewalking to construct, repair and maintain to the ISS.
The next spacewalk by U.S. astronauts IS NOT scheduled Until the fall of 2012, NASA said.
Tuesday's outing marked-the 249th spacewalk by U.S. astronauts in history, and Brought the total time spent 'on spacewalk repair and assembly of the ISS to 1.009 hours and nine minutes, Mission Control in Houston said.
On Monday, NASA Decided to extend Atlantis by a day's task, so the astronauts now Will Spend 13 days on Their final journey to space shuttle program Before the U.S. closed down forever.
Atlantis's key mission is to take advantage IS of the massive cargo space available one last time in order to restock the space station with a year's worth of food and supplies radiology schools in Ohio.
The Atlantis crew Began work on Monday with six Their colleagues at the ISS to transfer Nearly five tons of goods to the orbiting outpost and SUCCEEDED in unloading the Raffaello multipurpose logistics module.
Other supply ships from Europe, Japan and Russia Will Be Able to stock the ISS When The shuttle program WITHDRAWN After Atlantis, the objective space available on the shuttle IS unparalleled.
The container is "packed with 9.403 pounds (4.265 kilograms) of spare parts, spare equipment, and Other supplies - Including 2.677 pounds (1.215 kilograms) of food - That Will Sustain space station operations for a year," NASA said.
Over the coming days, the combined crew Will Be Transferring items from the Raffaello to the station and moving More than 5.600 pounds (2.540 kilograms) of old gear back Into the station module for the return to Earth.
"It Is pretty much all hands on deck," flight director Jerry Said Jason."It Is Going To Be a very busy time period."
Atlantis's flight marks the end of an era for NASA, leaving Americans Without Their Own vehicle for Sending Astronauts Into Space Until Private Industry Comes up with a new capsule, Likely by 2015 at the Earliest.
Gone With the shuttle, only Russia's Soyuz capsules three-seat ability Will Be Carrying of astronauts to the ISS - at a cost of more than $ 50 million per seat.
With the extra day in space, Atlantis scheduled to land Is Now back on Earth July 21 at 5:56 am (0956 GMT), mission control in Houston said.
The Four Remaining U.S. shuttles - Discovery, Endeavour, Atlantis and the prototype Enterprise - Will Be Sent to museums across the country After the program ends.
Were Destroyed Two shuttles in flight: Challenger blew up in a post-takeoff explosion in 1986 and Columbia disintegrated DURING ITS return to Earth in 2003. The 14 crew members Killed disasters.
Recent Comments