Sun, Aug 08, 2010
Near Record Spacewalk Was NO Walk In The Park...
The next spacewalk to complete the removal of a failed ammonia
pump module and installation and activation of a new pump module on
the International Space Station’s S1 Truss will take place no
earlier than Wednesday.
Expedition 24 Flight Engineers Doug Wheelock and Tracy Caldwell
Dyson completed the first spacewalk to remove and replace the pump
module at 3:22 p.m. EDT Saturday. As the result of an ammonia leak
in the final line that needed to be disconnected from the failed
pump module, the day’s tasks were only partially completed.
The decision was made to reconnect the line on the pump module and
install a spool positioning device to maintain proper pressure
internal to the ammonia line.
Teams on the ground are evaluating the impact of the leak on
plans to replace the failed pump, as well as possible fixes for the
leak. The completion of the process will most likely require at
least two additional spacewalks.
Saturday’s excursion lasted 8 hours, 3 minutes, making it
the longest expedition crew spacewalk in history and the sixth
longest in human spaceflight history.
Wheelock conducted the fourth spacewalk of his career. Caldwell
Dyson made her first spacewalk. Flight Engineer Shannon Walker
operated Canadarm2, the station’s robotic arm, and assisted
the spacewalkers from inside the station.
After the loss of one of two cooling loops July 31, ground
controllers powered down and readjusted numerous systems to provide
maximum redundancy aboard the orbiting laboratory. The
International Space Station is in a stable configuration, the crew
is safe and engineers continue reviewing data from the failed
pump.
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