Spacewalkers begin rewiring ISS power system
Posted: Fri, Dec 15, 2006, 6:36 AM ET (1136 GMT)
Two astronauts started the process of reconfiguring the station's power supply during an EVA Thursday. STS-116 astronauts Bob Curbeam and Christer Fuglesang spent exactly five hours outside the ISS on a spacewalk that started at 3:41 pm EST (2041 GMT), with the primary purpose of reconfiguring the station's electrical system from its current temporary setup to a permanent configuration that will support new solar arrays that will be added on future missions. The astronauts completed work on two of four power channels, as planned; the other two channels will be reconfigured on a spacewalk Saturday. The two also moved a pair of small handcarts located on the station's truss and performed a few miscellaneous tasks, working ahead of schedule and wrapping up work an hour early. The third and final scheduled STS-116 EVA is planned for Saturday, although NASA is still considering a fourth EVA to completely stow a solar panel that failed to completely retract automatically on Wednesday. Astronauts will make an additional effort Friday to stow the panel before resorting to another EVA.
Two astronauts started the process of reconfiguring the station's power supply during an EVA Thursday. STS-116 astronauts Bob Curbeam and Christer Fuglesang spent exactly five hours outside the ISS on a spacewalk that started at 3:41 pm EST (2041 GMT), with the primary purpose of reconfiguring the station's electrical system from its current temporary setup to a permanent configuration that will support new solar arrays that will be added on future missions. The astronauts completed work on two of four power channels, as planned; the other two channels will be reconfigured on a spacewalk Saturday. The two also moved a pair of small handcarts located on the station's truss and performed a few miscellaneous tasks, working ahead of schedule and wrapping up work an hour early. The third and final scheduled STS-116 EVA is planned for Saturday, although NASA is still considering a fourth EVA to completely stow a solar panel that failed to completely retract automatically on Wednesday. Astronauts will make an additional effort Friday to stow the panel before resorting to another EVA.
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