Second EVA Scheduled For August 11 To Complete Repairs

The first of two spacewalks by NASA astronauts to replace a failed ammonia pump on the International Space Station has been moved to Saturday, August 7. A second spacewalk is planned for Wednesday, August 11, to complete the repairs.

Teams of flight controllers, engineers, and spacewalk experts have made significant progress in preparing for the first spacewalk, but need an additional day to get ready. The additional time allows for final procedures to be sent late Thursday to the station, giving the crew a full day to review the plans developed by Mission Control.

Managers also moved the second spacewalk to Wednesday to give the crew more time to rest and prepare.

Expedition 24 Flight Engineers Doug Wheelock and Tracy Caldwell Dyson are scheduled to perform the spacewalks, which are both scheduled to begin at 6:55 a.m. Saturday's spacewalk will be the fourth for Wheelock and the first for Caldwell Dyson.

(L-R) Tracy Caldwell Dyson, Doug Wheelock

Engineers and flight controllers continue to review data on the July 31 pump failure, which caused the loss of one of two cooling loops aboard the station. This failure resulted in a power down and required adjustments to maintain as much redundancy as possible for the station systems. The systems are stable, and the station's six crew members are not in any danger.

FMI: www.nasa.gov