Overcoming a series of jammed bolts and latches, astronauts aboard the International Space Station have pulled an Italian-built cupola away from the Tranquility module's forward end. 
The seven-windowed observation deck has begun a short move to the module's Earth-facing port, carried by the station's 58-foot robotic arm. The short move is running nearly two hours behind after bolts holding Cupola to its berthing port jammed. The bolts released after new software commands increased the torque applied.
Then a latch wouldn't release. Again, mission controllers uplinked new computer commands that solved the problem.
"Good news, we're complete," station commander Jeff Williams radioed. "We're 'go' for cupola de-berth."
Endeavour mission specialist Kay Hire and pilot Terry Virts are guiding the station's Canadian-built robotic arm from inside the station's Destiny lab.
The cupola was removed around 12:25 a.m. EST Monday as the joined station and shuttle flew 217 miles above the North Atlantic Ocean.
NASA says the move should take an hour and 45 minutes.
Eventually, the cupola itself will be the center for all such robotics operations, giving arm operators and star-gazers panoramic views of space.
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