Two astronauts wrapped up the first spacewalk of space shuttle Endeavour's mission STS-118 on Saturday, installing a new truss segment to the International Space Station, according to NASA TV.
Mission Specialists Rick Mastracchio and Dave Williams re- entered the Quest Airlock safely, and the spacewalk officially ended at 6:45 p.m. EDT (2245 GMT).
During the 6-hour and 17-minute excursion, the two rookie spacewalkers successfully installed the new truss segment, which was delivered to the station by shuttle Endeavour. The duo also retracted a radiator outside the station and performed some get- ahead tasks.
"You guys were awesome," said Endeavour Commander Scott Kelly as the airlock was filled with air to equalize pressure.
The Station-to-Shuttle power transfer system, which was activated after Friday's docking, was shut down as a precaution during the spacewalk. It will be brought back online later Saturday. The system may allow Endeavour and its crew to stay at the station longer.
A decision on a possible mission extension to 14 days is expected to be made Sunday by NASA managers.
Also on Sunday, Endeavour's crew will give a focused inspection to the belly of the shuttle, where a "worrisome" gouge was found there on the heat shield after Friday's linkup between the station and the shuttle.
Source: Xinhua
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