International Space Station Commander Bill McArthur has found the missing lithium hydroxide canisters that were noted in press briefings last week. The canisters are necessary for the operation of Russian spacesuits; they scrub dangerous carbon dioxide from the air. Though no planned spacewalks are imminent, even an emergency spacewalk in the Russian suits would not have been possible without the canisters. The other spacewalk issue was at least partially resolved last week, when NASA decided it would be OK for spacewalkers to tether themselves to supports for the handrails on the American half of the station. More testing of handrails is in the works to be sure the tube part of the handrails can support people and gear, after workers on the ground discovered the metal had been treated at a temperature higher than it should have been.
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