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Saturday, 21 July, 2001, 08:45 GMT 09:45 UK
New door opens for space station
Two United States astronauts have successfully used a new airlock door they installed on the International Space Station.
Michael Gernhardt and James Reilly walked out of the airlock into space to hang the last high-pressure gas tank on the side of the door. "It really is way down. You get a sense of falling, don't you?", Gernhardt said as the pair floated in space above the Earth.
Until now, space walks have only been possible by leaving the station through airlocks on the shuttle docked beside it. The ISS has not had a proper airlock of its own to allow astronauts safely to make the transition from a pressurised environment to the vacuum of space.
What is more, its universal fittings mean it will be possible for both American and Russian crew members to use it. In the shuttle's airlock, the communications system and connections for oxygen and coolant will only accept American suits. The $164m JAM will eventually accept Russian connections as well. Open house "Once the airlock is installed, the hatches between a visiting space shuttle and the space station can remain open," said Mike Hawes, Nasa Deputy Associate Administrator for the Space Station.
"Now, we'll be able to keep those doors open, providing greater efficiency during joint orbital activities." The JAM, which measures four metres (13 feet) across and 5.5 metres (18 feet) in length, has been anchored to the ISS with the help of the station's advanced Canadarm2, which was added to the platform in April. The airlock's installation will complete Phase Two of the space station's construction, which began in 1998 with the arrival of the Russian-built Zarya base block in orbit. The five Atlantis shuttle astronauts are expected to return to Earth on 24 July.
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