Posted: Sun, Mar 11, 2001, 9:33 AM ET (1433 GMT)
Two astronauts completed the first of two spacewalks scheduled for the STS-102 mission outside the International Space Station early Sunday. Astronauts James Voss and Susan Helms started the EVA at 12:12 am EST (0512 GMT) and was not expected to end until after 8:30 am EST (1330 GMT). The primary purpose of the spacewalk was to install equipment on the exterior of the Destiny module in preparation for a robot arm that will be added to the station on another shuttle mission next month. The astronauts also made preparations to move a shuttle docking port from the nadir (Earth-facing) port of the Unity module to another on the left side, to clear the nadir port for the installation of the Leonardo cargo module Sunday night. The docking port was moved by the shuttle's robot arm at the end of the spacewalk, although that maneuver was delayed by extra work needed to configure the Space Vision System for the reattachment of the docking port. The spacewalk at times ran an hour behind schedule, as Voss and Helms encountered difficulties connecting an umbilical line as well as the loss of a portable attachment device that floated away early in the spacewalk. Because of this a few activities scheduled for Sunday's EVA were moved back to the second spacewalk on Monday night by Andy Thomas and Paul Richards.

Related Links:

•  Spaceflight Now mission coverage
•  Florida Today mission journal