Remaining P6 Bays Due For Retraction Thursday

NASa reports astronauts Patrick Forrester and Steve Swanson continued work to activate the International Space Station's Starboard 3 and 4 (S3/S4) truss segment during STS-117's second spacewalk. The 7-hour, 16-minute excursion wrapped up at 2144 EDT Wednesday.

The spacewalking duo first assisted with the retraction of the starboard solar array on the Port 6 (P6) truss. They left launch restraints still attached on the S3/S4 Solar Alpha Rotary Joint (SARJ), as flight controllers want to take a closer look at a drive lock assembly on the SARJ. After the launch restraints are removed on an upcoming spacewalk, the rotary joint will allow the S3/S4 arrays to track the sun as the station orbits Earth -- providing the station with a steady supply of much-needed additional power.

Thirteen of the P6's 31.5 array bays were retracted Wednesday, and the crew will send commands Thursday to retract the remaining bays. Before moving on to the SARJ, Forrester and Swanson "fluffed" the array -- NASA's term -- to allow easier retraction on Thursday.

The retraction of the P6 array clears the line of sight for the S3/S4 arrays to track the sun and sets the stage for the P6's relocation by a future shuttle crew from atop the station to the end of the Port 5 truss.

Mission Specialist Jim Reilly coordinated the spacewalk, and Pilot Lee Archambault operated the station's robotic arm. Two more spacewalks are scheduled for STS-117, with the next one scheduled for Friday.

In other activities, Expedition 15 Commander Fyodor Yurchikhin and Flight Engineers Oleg Kotov and Clayton Anderson continued to transfer cargo between the station and Space Shuttle Atlantis.

FMI: www.nasa.gov