Spacewalking Astronauts To Replace Remote Camera
CAPE CANAVERAL (CBSMiami/AP) - For the second time in as many weeks, a pair of astronauts aboard the International Space Station has gone for a 'walk' to do a little maintenance.
On Thursday, NASA's Sunita Williams and Japan's Akihiko Hoshide suited up and went outside the orbiting platform with a to-do list which included plugging in a new power-switching unit, hooking up power cables, and replacing a bad camera on the space station's big robotic arm.
They got off to a fast start, stowing an extending tool shortly after floating out.
"You have officially reached rock-star status," Mission Control radioed. "You've got your first get-ahead done and we're 30 minutes" into the spacewalk.
Trouble with the spacewalkers' helmet cameras prevented Mission Control from seeing close-up images of the early action. But an hour into the spacewalk, flight controllers got the problem fixed. "We're back," Mission Control assured the astronauts.
It's the second spacewalk in less than two weeks. On Aug. 20, two Russians worked outside the orbiting complex, installing shields to protect against micrometeorite strikes.
This latest flurry of spacewalks aside, it's no longer common for astronauts to step into the vacuum of space. That's because after almost 14 years, the space station is virtually complete and running well. Plus NASA's shuttles are retired and now museum pieces.
Williams is the lone woman among the space station's current six-person crew. She and Hoshide arrived at the space station a month ago, launching from Kazakhstan aboard a Russian rocket.
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