Fri, Mar 21, 2008
New Repair Method Under Scrutiny
The crews of space shuttle Endeavour and the International Space
Station got some off-duty time this week, at the beginning of their
10th day in orbit. They also spoke to Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo
Fukuda and participated in interviews with US media.
The astronauts spent the remainder of their day Wednesday
configuring tools for the fourth STS-123 spacewalk, and reviewing
spacewalk procedures.
During that spacewalk -- which began at 1804 EDT Thursday
evening, and was ongoing as of 0001 Friday -- Mission
Specialists Robert L. Behnken and Mike Foreman successfully
replaced a failed Remote Power Control Module (NASA-speak for
"circuit breaker") on the International Space Station’s
truss. However, there were difficulties removing a power connecter
from the Z1 truss.
Next, the spacewalkers completed tests of a possible
repair method for damaged heat resistant tiles on the space
shuttle. This technique uses a caulk-gun-like tool named the Tile
Repair Ablator Dispenser to dispense a material called Shuttle Tile
Ablator-54 into purposely damaged heat shield tiles. They stowed
the test samples in Endeavour's cargo bay.
Next, the spacewalkers then removed a sock that was covering the
left "hand" of Dextre and launch locks on the port of the Harmony
Node 2. They also will install covers of the Japanese logistics
module. Additionally, the astronauts will proceed back to the patch
panel on the Z1 truss to work with removing the power
connector.
Behnken and Foreman will begin the mission’s fifth and
final spacewalk late Saturday afternoon. Among other tasks, they
will stow the Orbiter Boom Sensor System on the station’s
main truss to be retrieved by the crew of Discovery on STS-124, the
next space shuttle mission.
More News
Aero Linx: International Business Aviation Council Ltd IBAC promotes the growth of business aviation, benefiting all sectors of the industry and all regions of the world. As a non->[...]
"During the annual inspection of the B-24 “Diamond Lil” this off-season, we made the determination that 'Lil' needs some new feathers. Due to weathering, the cloth-cove>[...]
Also: Bushcat Woes, Hummingbird 300 SL 4-Seat Heli Kit, Carbon Cub UL The newest Junkers is a faithful recreation that mates a 7-cylinder Verner radial engine to the airframe offer>[...]
Also: Seaplane Pilots Association, Rotax 916’s First Year, Gene Conrad After a decade and a half of struggling with the FAA and other aero-politics, G100UL is in production a>[...]
Also: Martha King Scholarship, Montaer Grows, Textron Updates Pistons, FlySto The FAA is hiring thousands of air traffic controllers, but the window to apply will only be open for >[...]