spacetoday.net: Astronauts open Kibo module

Astronauts open Kibo module

Posted: Thu, Jun 5, 2008, 2:06 PM ET (1806 GMT)

Astronauts on the International Space Station opened a new lab module on Wednesday while also repairing the station's toilet. The Kibo module, added to the station on Tuesday, was formally opened on Wednesday and checked out by astronauts, who confirmed the Japanese lab module was in good condition. The station's crew also successfully repaired a Russian toilet that malfunctioned in late May. A replacement part was shipped from Russia to Florida and added to the shuttle Discovery just days before its launch on the STS-124 mission. The next major event of the mission will be on Thursday, when astronauts Michael Fossum and Ronald Garan will outfit the exterior of the Kibo module during a six-and-a-half-hour EVA.