Live in orbit: Mastracchio spots glove damage

Endeavour mission specialist Rick Mastracchio is being sent back into the U.S. Quest airlock because of damage he spotted on one of his spacesuit gloves.

Mastracchio is not in danger, but flight rules call for him to wrap up his work and head back into the airlock so his suit can be hooked up to station electrical power.

Fellow spacewalker Clay Anderson still is working outside the International Space Station but will soon head back inside Quest. Two materials sciences packages are being left outside and will be picked up on a future excursion.

Mastracchio noticed a small hole in a single layer on his lefthand glove. The gloves have multiple layers -- more than a dozen, if memory serves -- but NASA flight rules call for an astronaut with a damaged glove to call it quits for the day.

The rule was put in place after damage done to spacewalker Robert Curbeam's glove went unnoticed during a mission in December. Spacewalkers now are required to make a visual inspection of their gloves about every half-hour during an excursion.