Inside the Columbus module.
Schlegel and Walheim
Medical issue resolved
German astronaut Hans Schlegel will enter the airlock for a campout at 7 p.m. EST to purge nitrogen from his blood to avoid the bends during Wednesday's spacewalk with veteran spacewalker Rex Walheim.
Flight surgeons scrubbed Schlegel from Monday's spacewalk due to an undisclosed "medical issue." He has apparently recovered.
"We have no reason to believe he won't be on that EVA tomorrow," said Kirk Shireman, deputy space station director. "We have no reason not to proceed with our baseline plan."
There are 10 astronauts at the space station. They worked feverishly today, attaching power, cooling and data cables to the Columbus module that was opened this morning after being attached on Monday.
"I'd have to say the crew is like a bunch of kids with a new toy box they can look into," ISS flight director Bob Dempsey said.
Dempsey reported several minor problems hooking up a cooling line that slowed the activation of parts of the Columbus module.
"We can't turn on the (laboratory) racks until the cooling is there," said deputy ISS manager Kirk Shireman.
NASA and European Space Agency managers are discussing whether to extend the mission by a second day to allow shuttle astronauts to continue helping activate the Columbus module.
French astronaut Leo Eyharts opened and entered the Columbus laboratory module about 9 a.m. EST today.
Click for interactive graphic.
Click for STS-122 fact sheet.
Click for NASA-TV schedule, which details mission events.
Click for flight day 6 execute package.
Scientific data will come from the Columbus module within two weeks.
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