Two U.S. astronauts of space shuttle Discovery's crew completed their first spacewalk on Tuesday, attaching Japan's Kibo science module to the International Space Station, according to NASA TV.
With the help of other astronauts inside the station, spacewalkers Michael Fossum and Ronald Garan successfully moved the huge pressurized module of Kibo (which means "hope" in Japanese) from shuttle's payload bay to the port side of the Harmony connecting node at the station.
"We have a new Hope on the International Space Station," announced Japanese astronaut Akihiko Hoshide, who is the crewmember of shuttle Discovery.
The pressurized module was launched to the orbital outpost aboard Discovery. It will be the station's biggest room once completely installed.
The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's Kibo Pressurized Module and robotic arm system can be seen in the open payload bay of the Space Shuttle Discovery in this view from the International Space Station in this image from NASA TV June 2, 2008. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo) The two spacewalkers kicked off their excursion at 12:22 p.m. EDT (1622 GMT). Before working on the new Kibo module, the duo first assisted in transferring a space shuttle inspection platform from its temporary stowage location at the station to the payload bay of Discovery.
Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency astronaut Akihiko Hoshide stows equipment on the mid deck of the Space Shuttle Discovery after launch during his first moments of weightlessness in this image from NASA TV video released June 1, 2008. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo) This platform was left aboard the station in a shuttle flight in March to make room for the giant Kibo module in Discovery's mission. Retrieved successfully, it will be used for shuttle inspection and finally be sent back to Earth aboard Discovery.
After the transfer activity and the move of Kibo module, Fossumand Garan then turned their attention to an inspection of the starboard Solar Alpha Rotary Joint, or SARJ. The SARJ enables the starboard solar arrays to rotate and face the sun as the ISS orbits the Earth. However, debris has degraded the SARJ operation, and the two spacewalkers demonstrated a technique that may be used to clean the debris.
This is the first of three spacewalks of Discovery's STS-124 mission during its nine-day-stay at the station. Today happens to be the 43rd anniversary of astronaut Edward White's first U.S. spacewalk.
Source: Xinhua
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