spacetoday.net: Astronauts attach truss to space station

Posted: Fri, Apr 12, 2002, 9:03 AM ET (1303 GMT)
STS-110 EVA #1 (NASA)

Two spacewalking astronauts completed the initial installation of the first segment of the International Space Station's truss on Thursday despite some difficulties that extended the EVA. Astronauts Rex Walheim and Steve Smith spent seven hours and 48 minutes outside the space station, securing the S0 truss segment to the Destiny module and connecting some power, fluid, and data cables to the truss segment. The segment had been moved from the shuttle's cargo bay to a temporary mount on Destiny before the spacewalk started by the station's Canadarm2 robot arm. Walheim and Smith attached two of four permanent mounting struts to the truss and installed an umbilical system between the truss and the Mobile Transporter, a "railcar" that will eventually move along the truss, allowing Canadarm2 to move to various locations on the station. The spacewalkers' work was slowed by cables that stiffened in the cold, making it more difficult for the astronauts to move them into position. Although the spacewalk was extended by more than an hour, Walheim and Smith stopped work before installing two circuit breakers on the truss; that work will be done on one of three more spacewalks scheduled for the mission. The next EVA, by astronauts Lee Morin and Jerry Ross, is scheduled for Saturday.