Realtime coverage of STS-134 EVA No. 1
05/20/2011 09:37 AM Filed in: STS EVA | STS-134 | Space Shuttle | Space News | International Space Station
By WILLIAM HARWOOD
CBS News/Kennedy Space Center
09:35 AM EDT, 05/20/11 Update: Spacewalk No. 1 ends
Astronauts Andrew Feustel and Gregory "Taz" Chamitoff returned to the Quest airlock and began repressurizing the cramped chamber at 9:29 a.m. EDT (GMT-4), officially ending a six-hour 19-minute spacewalk, the first of four planned for the shuttle Endeavour's mission.
The excursion ended a few minutes early because of a carbon dioxide sensor failure in Chamitoff's spacesuit. While the astronaut's CO2 scrubber continued working normally, NASA flight rules prompted controllers to use more conservative estimates for how long he could remain outside, As a result, work to finish wiring in a pair of antennas was ruled out and the astronauts were told to pack up their tools and head back to the airlock.
Three more spacewalks are planned and the antenna wiring presumably will be added to one of the other excursions.
"I'd like to congratulate you both on an outstanding EVA, it was a pleasure working with you," radioed Michael Fincke, the spacewalk coordinator. "You guys did great, we got a lot done. And Taz, congratulations on your first EVA. I know it was a dream come true and it was definitely awesome. Good work."
This was the 156th spacewalk devoted to station assembly and maintenance since construction began in 1998, the fifth so far this year, the fourth for Feustel and the first for Chamitoff. Station assembly spacewalk time now stands at 980 hours and 12 minutes, or 40.8 days.
08:40 AM EDT, 05/20/11 Update: Spacesuit sensor failure forces astronauts to skip antenna wiring
Spacewalkers Andrew Feustel and Gregory Chamitoff were told to skip a final bit of work Friday because of a carbon dioxide sensor failure in Chamitoff's spacesuit. The sensor problem forced flight controllers to adopt more conservative guidelines that did not leave the astronauts enough time to finish hooking up new wireless antennas, a job that involved a fair amount of re-wiring.
The antenna work was the final major objective of the spacewalk, which had proceeded smoothly to that point. Feustel and Chamitoff successfully replaced a materials science space exposure experiment package, installed a light on a crew equipment cart, replaced a cover on a solar array rotary joint and connected jumpers and hoses for use during a spacewalk Sunday to recharge ammonia coolant on one of the space station's solar arrays.
The new antennas, attached to a pair of spacewalk handrails, were mounted on the station and the astronauts were getting ready to remove micrometeoroid shielding to gain access to a wiring panel when Chamitoff's CO2 sensor failed.
"I'm getting a CO2 'bad sensor' message," Chamitoff radioed at 7:41 a.m.
"Say again, Taz?" spacewalk coordinator Michael Fincke asked.
"CO2 sensor bad message."
"Copy, CO2 bad sensor message. We'll meet you in the checklist," Fincke replied. "It pretty much says you are to periodically monitor your physical condition because your CO2 sensor has failed. If you notice symptoms you'll let us know and your helmet purge valve will go to open and we'll terminate the EVA. But in the meantime, if you have no symptoms we're going to continue. How copy?
"Understood. And I'll be monitoring my own symptoms."
"OK, and I know with all your station experience you know your CO2 symptoms well and we won't worry about it," Fincke said. "But we might bother you every 15 or 20 minutes to see how you're doing."
At the time of the failure, controllers calculated Chamitoff's suit would be good for more than seven seven hours. But after the sensor failure, adopting more conservative calculations, they concluded he needed to be back in the airlock within about 90 minutes. That did not leave enough time to complete the antenna re-wiring.
06:55 AM EDT, 05/20/11 Update: Ammonia line set up and ready for use Sunday
Astronauts Andrew Feustel and Gregory Chamitoff connected a series of jumpers and hoses to set up a long ammonia line stretching the length of the International Space Station's left-side power truss.
During a spacewalk Sunday by Feustel and astronaut Michael Fincke, coolant will be routed to the outboard left-side solar array to recharge its ammonia supply.
The astronauts now are working on their final planned task, installation of two antennas built into handrails, to improve wireless communications for experiments and other systems outside the lab complex.
05:15 AM EDT, 05/20/11 Update: Spacewalkers complete experiment swap out
Astronauts Gregory Chamitoff and Andrew Feustel have accomplished the first objective of today's spacewalk, moving a space exposure experiment package from the space station to the shuttle Endeavour for return to Earth and installing a fresh experiment package in its place.
Chamitoff now plans to install a light on a crew equipment cart on the forward side of the station's solar power truss while Feustel re-installs a protective cover on one of the station's solar array rotary joints that was removed during earlier servicing.
With those tasks complete, the astronauts will begin work to hook up ammonia coolant jumpers on the left side of the power truss. The goal is to set up a long ammonia line from a storage tank near the center of the truss to the outboard left-side solar array, which has a small leak in its coolant supply.
During a spacewalk Sunday, Feustel and Michael Fincke plan to replace lost coolant in the array. But first, segments of the ammonia supply line must be connected and vented.
03:15 AM EDT, 05/20/11 Update: Spacewalk No. 1 begins
Floating in the International Space Station's Quest airlock module, Andrew Feustel and Gregory Chamitoff switched their spacesuits to battery power at 3:10 a.m. EDT (GMT-4) to officially begin a planned six-and-a-half-hour spacewalk, the first of four planned by the Endeavour astronauts.
For identification, Feustel, call sign EV-1, is wearing a suit with solid red stripes around the legs while Chamitoff, EV-3, is wearing a suit with broken stripes.
"For Drew, I just wanted to say welcome back to open space and Taz (Chamitoff), congratulations on being the 201st human being to be in outer space," spacewalk coordinator Michael Fincke radioed from inside. "I waited a long time to say those words to you. Congratulations."
"Thank you," Chamitoff replied. "It's a dream come true for me. It would be for anybody, the first or the 201st."
The primary goals of the excursion are to replace a materials science space exposure experiment, to install an antenna for improved external communications and to set up an ammonia line that will be used during a second spacewalk Sunday to add coolant to a solar array reservoir that has a slow leak.
This is the 156th spacewalk devoted to station assembly and maintenance since construction began in 1998, the fifth so far this year, the fourth for Feustel and the first for Chamitoff.
CBS News/Kennedy Space Center
09:35 AM EDT, 05/20/11 Update: Spacewalk No. 1 ends
Astronauts Andrew Feustel and Gregory "Taz" Chamitoff returned to the Quest airlock and began repressurizing the cramped chamber at 9:29 a.m. EDT (GMT-4), officially ending a six-hour 19-minute spacewalk, the first of four planned for the shuttle Endeavour's mission.
The excursion ended a few minutes early because of a carbon dioxide sensor failure in Chamitoff's spacesuit. While the astronaut's CO2 scrubber continued working normally, NASA flight rules prompted controllers to use more conservative estimates for how long he could remain outside, As a result, work to finish wiring in a pair of antennas was ruled out and the astronauts were told to pack up their tools and head back to the airlock.
Three more spacewalks are planned and the antenna wiring presumably will be added to one of the other excursions.
"I'd like to congratulate you both on an outstanding EVA, it was a pleasure working with you," radioed Michael Fincke, the spacewalk coordinator. "You guys did great, we got a lot done. And Taz, congratulations on your first EVA. I know it was a dream come true and it was definitely awesome. Good work."
This was the 156th spacewalk devoted to station assembly and maintenance since construction began in 1998, the fifth so far this year, the fourth for Feustel and the first for Chamitoff. Station assembly spacewalk time now stands at 980 hours and 12 minutes, or 40.8 days.
08:40 AM EDT, 05/20/11 Update: Spacesuit sensor failure forces astronauts to skip antenna wiring
 |
| Astronaut Gregory Chamitoff works near the International Space Station's Quest airlock after a carbon dioxide sensor in his suit failed, prompting flight controllers to rule out a final planned task. (Credit: NASA TV) |
The antenna work was the final major objective of the spacewalk, which had proceeded smoothly to that point. Feustel and Chamitoff successfully replaced a materials science space exposure experiment package, installed a light on a crew equipment cart, replaced a cover on a solar array rotary joint and connected jumpers and hoses for use during a spacewalk Sunday to recharge ammonia coolant on one of the space station's solar arrays.
The new antennas, attached to a pair of spacewalk handrails, were mounted on the station and the astronauts were getting ready to remove micrometeoroid shielding to gain access to a wiring panel when Chamitoff's CO2 sensor failed.
"I'm getting a CO2 'bad sensor' message," Chamitoff radioed at 7:41 a.m.
"Say again, Taz?" spacewalk coordinator Michael Fincke asked.
"CO2 sensor bad message."
"Copy, CO2 bad sensor message. We'll meet you in the checklist," Fincke replied. "It pretty much says you are to periodically monitor your physical condition because your CO2 sensor has failed. If you notice symptoms you'll let us know and your helmet purge valve will go to open and we'll terminate the EVA. But in the meantime, if you have no symptoms we're going to continue. How copy?
"Understood. And I'll be monitoring my own symptoms."
"OK, and I know with all your station experience you know your CO2 symptoms well and we won't worry about it," Fincke said. "But we might bother you every 15 or 20 minutes to see how you're doing."
At the time of the failure, controllers calculated Chamitoff's suit would be good for more than seven seven hours. But after the sensor failure, adopting more conservative calculations, they concluded he needed to be back in the airlock within about 90 minutes. That did not leave enough time to complete the antenna re-wiring.
06:55 AM EDT, 05/20/11 Update: Ammonia line set up and ready for use Sunday
Astronauts Andrew Feustel and Gregory Chamitoff connected a series of jumpers and hoses to set up a long ammonia line stretching the length of the International Space Station's left-side power truss.
During a spacewalk Sunday by Feustel and astronaut Michael Fincke, coolant will be routed to the outboard left-side solar array to recharge its ammonia supply.
The astronauts now are working on their final planned task, installation of two antennas built into handrails, to improve wireless communications for experiments and other systems outside the lab complex.
05:15 AM EDT, 05/20/11 Update: Spacewalkers complete experiment swap out
Astronauts Gregory Chamitoff and Andrew Feustel have accomplished the first objective of today's spacewalk, moving a space exposure experiment package from the space station to the shuttle Endeavour for return to Earth and installing a fresh experiment package in its place.
Chamitoff now plans to install a light on a crew equipment cart on the forward side of the station's solar power truss while Feustel re-installs a protective cover on one of the station's solar array rotary joints that was removed during earlier servicing.
With those tasks complete, the astronauts will begin work to hook up ammonia coolant jumpers on the left side of the power truss. The goal is to set up a long ammonia line from a storage tank near the center of the truss to the outboard left-side solar array, which has a small leak in its coolant supply.
During a spacewalk Sunday, Feustel and Michael Fincke plan to replace lost coolant in the array. But first, segments of the ammonia supply line must be connected and vented.
03:15 AM EDT, 05/20/11 Update: Spacewalk No. 1 begins
Floating in the International Space Station's Quest airlock module, Andrew Feustel and Gregory Chamitoff switched their spacesuits to battery power at 3:10 a.m. EDT (GMT-4) to officially begin a planned six-and-a-half-hour spacewalk, the first of four planned by the Endeavour astronauts.
For identification, Feustel, call sign EV-1, is wearing a suit with solid red stripes around the legs while Chamitoff, EV-3, is wearing a suit with broken stripes.
"For Drew, I just wanted to say welcome back to open space and Taz (Chamitoff), congratulations on being the 201st human being to be in outer space," spacewalk coordinator Michael Fincke radioed from inside. "I waited a long time to say those words to you. Congratulations."
"Thank you," Chamitoff replied. "It's a dream come true for me. It would be for anybody, the first or the 201st."
The primary goals of the excursion are to replace a materials science space exposure experiment, to install an antenna for improved external communications and to set up an ammonia line that will be used during a second spacewalk Sunday to add coolant to a solar array reservoir that has a slow leak.
This is the 156th spacewalk devoted to station assembly and maintenance since construction began in 1998, the fifth so far this year, the fourth for Feustel and the first for Chamitoff.