spacetoday.net: EVA tests shuttle repair techniques

Posted: Thu, Jul 13, 2006, 8:19 AM ET (1219 GMT)
STS-121: EVA #3 (NASA)

Two astronauts spent seven hours outside the space shuttle and International Space Station Wednesday, testing techniques to repair damage to a shuttle's thermal protection system. Piers Sellers and Mike Fossum spent seven hours and 11 minutes outside the shuttle-station complex starting at 7:20 am EDT (1120 GMT) on their third and final spacewalk of the STS-121 mission. The primary purpose of the EVA was to test a repair material known as NOAX that could be used to fill cracks in the shuttle's reinforced carbon-carbon panels. The astronauts also tested an infrared camera designed to identify damage on the interior of those panels. With all of the mission spacewalks now complete, the STS-121 crew will have only light duty on Thursday before they wrap up their stay at the space station; the shuttle is scheduled to undock from the ISS on Saturday.