Today in Space: Mr. Acaba Goes for a Spacewalk

Former Melbourne High science teacher Joe Acaba gets a turn to walk in space today.

Acaba, who taught freshman science on the Space Coast in 1999-2000, is scheduled to join shuttle Discovery's lead spacewalker, Steve Swanson, on the mission's second of three spacewalks outside the International Space Station.

This is Acaba's yearbook photo from his year in Melbourne (apologies for the out-of-focus cell phone shot), when he sported a ponytail.

Among other tasks, they'll prepare batteries for replacement on the Port 6 truss - on the opposite end of the station's central truss from the newest set of solar arrays.

NASA officials say work at the far ends of the station's truss increases the risk of electric shock from the electric potential created by station systems. Some precautions have been taken, like insulated tape around metal rings connecting sections of the spacesuits.

Also today, crews will put a newly installed distillation assembly in the station's urine processor through a "dry run." They hope the replacement part will help the station recycle urine into drinking water.

And the newly installed Starboard 6 solar arrays should be fully activated and producing power for the station.

The crew is scheduled to wake up at 7:43 a.m. EDT.

Here are some more highlights for the day.

- 8:18 a.m.: Preparations for mission’s second spacewalk resume.

- 12:43 p.m.: Steve Swanson and Joe Acaba begin second spacewalk.

- 1:43 p.m.: Port 6 battery replacement preparation.

- 3:58 p.m.: Installation of GPS antenna on Japanese logistics module.

- 7:13 p.m: Second spacewalk ends.

- 8 p.m.: Mission status briefing.

- 10:43 p.m.: ISS crew sleeps.

- 11:13 p.m.: Discovery crew sleeps.

Check out this NASA TV schedule to see more plans for the mission.

IMAGE NOTE: Click to enlarge the images. Above, Joseph Acaba, STS-119 mission specialist, participates in an Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU) spacesuit fit check in the Space Station Airlock Test Article (SSATA) in the Crew Systems Laboratory at NASA's Johnson Space Center. Below, mission specialist and lead spacewalker Steven Swanson. Source: NASA. Acaba yearbook shot by James Dean.