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Astronauts performing third spacewalk
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NASA
With the blackness of space behind it, a partial view of Space Shuttle Atlantis’ payload bay, vertical stabilizer, orbital maneuvering system pods and docking mechanism stand out in contrast in this image photographed by the STS-129 crew from an aft flight deck window.
At 8:24 a.m. EST, STS-129 spacewalkers Robert Satcher and Randy Bresnik switched their suits to battery power, signaling the start of the mission’s third and final outing, NASA reported from Houston today. They are orbiting Earth 220 miles above the planet.
At an elapsed time of an hour and 12 minutes, the spacewalk was about 20 minutes ahead of schedule. Three hours into the mission, they were still ahead of schedule.
Even though today’s spacewalk started about an hour late, Mission Control has decided to end it at its original time, around 2 p.m. EST. The “contingency” time listed in the original plan will be removed and the spacewalk is predicted to last about five hours and 30 minutes.
Atlantis Mission Specialist Mike Foreman is inside the International Space Station serving as the choreographer and relaying communications from Mission Control in Houston.
Satcher and Bresnik were scheduled for a six and a half hour spacewalk, although 30 to 45 minutes of it were set aside as “contingency” time for any tasks that require longer to complete than estimated. Because the mission’s first two spacewalks accomplished more than was planned, this third excursion has taken on several new chores that originally were listed as mission “get ahead” tasks.
The first item on Satcher’s agenda was to transfer an oxygen-filled high pressure gas tank from the External Logistics Carrier (ELC) 2 to the Quest airlock. Space station robotic arm operators Leland Melvin and Barry Wilmore assisted with the move of the large, “doghouse” shaped tank.
Meanwhile, Bresnik retrieved the Materials International Space Station Experiment (MISSE 7) from Atlantis’ payload bay and installed it on ELC 2. The pair will work together to remove Quest airlock debris shields and activate the high-pressure tank. The tank will be used to replenish airlock air that’s lost when spacewalkers exit and enter Quest. The installation took about three hours.
Next, while Satcher loosens a bolt on a starboard truss Ammonia Tank Assembly, Bresnik will install fluid jumpers on the Port1/Port 3 and Starboard 1/Starboard 3 truss segments. Finally, while Bresnik relocates an articulating portable foot restraint, Satcher will install two camera covers and an insulating sleeve on the station’s Mobile Base System.
Bresnik completed installation of the MISSE 7 experiment on Express Logistics Carrier 2. This is the latest in a series of experiments that expose materials and composite samples to space for several months before they are returned for experts to analyze. This could lead to stronger spacecraft materials and applications on Earth. This MISSE experiment actually is plugged into the space station’s power supply.
The astronauts are scheduled to return to Kennedy Space Center on November 27, the day after Thanksgiving with Nicole Stott aboard. She has been conducting scientific experiments on the ISS for two months.
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