Spacewalking astronauts Scott Parazynski and Douglas Wheelock are way, way out on the far left end of the International Space Station's central truss, preparing to help mount a 17.5-ton solar power girder to the outpost's metallic backbone.
Fixed to the end of the station's Canadian-built robot arm, the 35-foot-long girder is positioned outboard of the portside end of the truss, and Parazynski is examining it to make certain that there is nothing to interfere with an orbital coupling.
Wheelock is setting up a portable foot restraint that he'll use to anchor himself at the existing end of the truss.
Parazynski will install one on another corner, and from those perches, the astronauts will help crane operators Stephanie Wilson and Dan Tani guide the P6 truss into place.
Working inside the U.S. Destiny lab, Wilson and Tani cannot eyeball the work site, so they will be relying on camera views and verbal cues from the spacewalkers to pull off the assembly work.
You can watch the action unfold here in The Flame Trench. Simply click the link below the top image to launch our NASA TV viewer and round-the-clock coverage of NASA's 120th shuttle mission.
You can also take a look at the astronauts' detailed timeline and messages beamed up earlier today from Mission Control in the official Flight Day 8 Execute Package: FD08exec.pdf
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