Garan, Fossum Install Cameras On Kibo

Mission Specialists Mike Fossum and Ron Garan completed the second STS-124 spacewalk Thursday. The 7-hour, 11-minute excursion ended at 1815 EDT.

The astronauts completed a number of tasks to outfit the Kibo Japanese Pressurized Module, or JPM. They installed television cameras on the front and rear of the JPM to assist Kibo robotic arm operations, removed thermal covers from the Kibo robotic arm, and prepared an upper JPM docking port for Friday's attachment of the Kibo logistics module.

The spacewalkers installed two cameras on the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency’s Kibo laboratory. NASA says these cameras will be used to judge clearances for the module’s robotic arm.

Garan and Fossum also prepared the laboratory’s top active common berthing mechanism for the attachment of the smaller section of the module, the Japanese Experiment Logistics Module -- Pressurized Section, which was delivered during STS-123.

In addition, the two spacewalkers made preparations for a nitrogen tank assembly swap they will make on their third spacewalk, scheduled for Sunday. They also removed an external television camera that had a failing power supply.

Fossum also inspected the space station's port solar alpha rotary joint, or SARJ. Unlike the starboard SARJ, the port SARJ has performed flawlessly. The inspection was done to ensure the port SARJ remains in good condition.

This was Fossum's fifth spacewalk, Garan's second, the 111th spacewalk devoted to space station assembly and maintenance, the 12th of 2008, and the 196th by  astronauts.

FMI: www.nasa.gov