Station truss segment installed; shuttle damage assessment planned
Posted: Sun, Aug 12, 2007, 4:59 AM ET (0859 GMT)
Astronauts installed a new truss segment to the International Space Station during a spacewalk on Saturday while NASA continued to study damage to the underside of the shuttle Endeavour. Astronauts Rick Mastracchio and Dave Williams spent six hours and 17 minutes outside the shuttle-station complex on Saturday to complete the installation of the S5 segment to the starboard side of the station's truss. The two also retracted the radiator on the P6 truss segment to prepare it for its move from the top of the station to the end of the port side of the truss on a later shuttle mission. Shuttle engineers, meanwhile, continued to analyze images of the underside of the orbiter that show a gash several centimeters across in the shuttle's tiles. Officials said late Saturday that the gash was likely caused by foam that took a "bad bounce" off an external tank strut during the launch, rather than ice as previously thought. NASA plans more inspections of the shuttle on Sunday to better determine the size and depth of the gash, but thought it less likely that a spacewalk would be required to repair the damage.
Astronauts installed a new truss segment to the International Space Station during a spacewalk on Saturday while NASA continued to study damage to the underside of the shuttle Endeavour. Astronauts Rick Mastracchio and Dave Williams spent six hours and 17 minutes outside the shuttle-station complex on Saturday to complete the installation of the S5 segment to the starboard side of the station's truss. The two also retracted the radiator on the P6 truss segment to prepare it for its move from the top of the station to the end of the port side of the truss on a later shuttle mission. Shuttle engineers, meanwhile, continued to analyze images of the underside of the orbiter that show a gash several centimeters across in the shuttle's tiles. Officials said late Saturday that the gash was likely caused by foam that took a "bad bounce" off an external tank strut during the launch, rather than ice as previously thought. NASA plans more inspections of the shuttle on Sunday to better determine the size and depth of the gash, but thought it less likely that a spacewalk would be required to repair the damage.
Related Links:
| <<previous article | next article>> |
|
news in brief
|
|
|
|
news links
|
|
Thursday, February 27
SES CEO Sees Protections In IRIS² Contract
Aviation Week — 5:22 am ET (1022 GMT) Appaloosa Files Proxy Proposals for SES S.A.
Business Wire — 5:21 am ET (1021 GMT) SES Acknowledges Shareholder Announcement
Business Wire — 5:20 am ET (1020 GMT) U.S. Space Force Upgrades Sites Amid Soaring Launch Demand
Aviation Week — 5:19 am ET (1019 GMT) Bleecker Street report brings Rocket Lab share price down and sparks litigation interest
BusinessDesk — 5:18 am ET (1018 GMT) |
