Shortly after 7 p.m., spacewalkers Danny Olivas and Nicole Stott removed a nearly 1,300 pound box holding coolant tanks from the International Space Station's central truss. Olivas unhooked coolant and pressurization lines, and with Stott released four bolts holding the box to the truss.
Then Olivas held it in position to be snared by the the station's arm, which Stott rode in a foot restraint to ensure it was properly attached. "The arm now owns the tank," an astronaut said from inside the station. "Good job guys."
Discovery pilot Kevin Ford and station flight engineer Bob Thirsk were robotically controlling the 58-foot arm.
The nearly 1,300-pound tank assembly - still holding about 200 pounds of toxic ammonia - will remain attached to the arm until Thursday, when it will be transferred to a carrier in Discovery's payload bay.
That will follow the installation of new tanks by Olivas and mission specialist Christer Fuglesang during the second of three spacewalks planned by the Discovery crew.
Olivas reported a problem with one coolant line. A locking pin in a quick-disconnect device did not seat properly.
Olivas covered to make sure no ammonia leaked, and no leaks have been reported.
NASA TV commentators said the line was still in good condition to be reconnected to the new tank assembly on Thursday.
The spacewalkers next task is retrieving science experiments from the end of the Columbus lab.



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