Inside KSC News Feeds
06-08-2008, 09:04 AM
International Space Station and shuttle Discovery astronauts are preparing for today's third STS-124 spacewalk. Mike Fossum and Ron Garan are scheduled to begin their task at 10:32 a.m. EDT. During the 6.5-hour journey, the spacewalkers will remove a depleted Nitrogen Tank Assembly from the starboard S1 truss and replace it with a new assembly. The Nitrogen Tank Assembly is used to pressurize the space station's ammonia cooling system. Fossum and Garan also will remove insulation and launch locks from the Kibo robotic arm and reinstall a repaired television camera on the far end of the port truss. Fossum will collect a sample of a dust-like substance from the port Solar Alpha Rotary Joint, or SARJ. The sample will be analyzed once it is returned to Earth. The port SARJ continues to function normally.
The spacewalk will be Fossum's sixth, Garan's third, the 112th spacewalk devoted to space station assembly and maintenance, and the 197th by U.S. astronauts.
The spacewalk will be Fossum's sixth, Garan's third, the 112th spacewalk devoted to space station assembly and maintenance, and the 197th by U.S. astronauts.