EVA tests shuttle repair techniques
Posted: Thu, Jul 13, 2006, 7:19 AM ET (1119 GMT)
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.
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.
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