spacetoday.net: Japanese module added to ISS

Posted: Fri, Mar 14, 2008, 9:01 AM ET (1301 GMT)
STS-123: JLP installed on ISS (NASA)

The crew of the space shuttle Endeavour added a Japanese lab module to the International Space Station early Friday after a seven-hour spacewalk by two astronauts. Rick Linnehan and Garrett Reisman spent seven hours and one minute outside the ISS on an EVA that ended at 4:19 am EDT (0819 GMT) Friday. The main purpose of the EVA was to prepare the Japanese Logistics Module - Pressurized Section (JLP) for installation on the ISS. The JLP was installed on the Harmony module of the ISS by the shuttle's robotic arm near the end of the EVA. Meanwhile, engineers on the ground are working on a software patch that is expected to fix a problem with the Dextre robotic manipulator. The Canadian robot, carried up to the station on the STS-123 mission along with the JLP, failed to power up during tests yesterday. Dextre will be assembled and installed on the station during later spacewalks on this mission.