Suni Williams Due To Break Spaceflight Record

The Expedition 15 crew completed their second spacewalk in eight days Wednesday, and continued preparations for space shuttle Atlantis' arrival at the International Space Station.

Commander Fyodor Yurchikhin and Flight Engineer Oleg Kotov were out in space more than five hours installing sample containers on the Pirs module for a Russian experiment. The experiment, called Biorisk, looks at the effect of space on microorganisms.

The spacewalkers then strung a section of ethernet cable on the exterior of the Zarya module, completing the installation of a remote computer network that will allow the US segment to control the Russian segment, in the event of a problem.

About two and a half hours into the spacewalk, Russian controllers noticed unusual readings in Pirs and asked Yurchikhin to return to the module where he verified that the pressurized oxygen bottles were closed properly. Mission Control Moscow determined a small amount of oxygen was flowing from a fluid umbilical that apparently didn't close properly when it was disconnected from the spacesuit at the beginning of the spacewalk.

The team then concentrated on the primary task of their spacewalk: putting up 12 debris shield panels on the conical section of the Zvezda module. Five panels were installed last week, and six others were installed in 2002 to improve the module's protection from micrometeroid debris strikes. The aluminum panels measure about two feet by three feet and are an inch thick.

Flight Engineer Suni Williams monitored Wednesday's spacewalk and conducted experiment activities. Earlier this week, she and other crew members prepared the Quest airlock for the spacewalks planned during Atlantis' mission, which is scheduled for launch June 8 with a June 10 station dock.

Commander Rick Sturckow and the crew of shuttle Atlantis are in Florida preparing for their launch. Atlantis will deliver a new set of solar array wings and a new station flight engineer, NASA astronaut Clay Anderson.

On June 16, Williams will exceed astronaut Shannon Lucid's mark for the longest spaceflight ever by a woman, 188 days and 4 hours.

FMI: www.nasa.gov/station