Endeavour spacewalkers Bob Behnken and Nick Patrick have successfully hooked up four ammonia coolant lines outside the International Space Station, setting the stage for station managers to begin activating the outpost's newest room. 
The crew suffered a slight scare when a small amount of toxic ammonia squirted toward Patrick's helmet when he opened a quick disconnect valve cap, but he reported that it stopped quickly and had not stuck to his suit or visor. "It was about the kind of quantity you would expect if you didn't empty the straw at the end of your drink bag," he radioed.
"If you were drinking ammonia," joked mission specialist Steve Robinson, who is coordinating the spacewalk from inside the shuttle.
Behnken came over to inspect Patrick's suit (above) and did not see any evidence of contamination.
"You look clean to me," he said.
As a precaution, mission controllers initiated a standard "bake out" procedure to heat away any ammonia crystals stuck to a contaminated suit.
The concern is returning ammonia inside the station, where a small amount could endanger the crew's health.
Behnken and Patrick will spend extra time in the Quest airlock to be sure their suits are clean.
NASA officials said previous missions have seen similar small releases of ammonia, and that they are expected because of a small amount of pressure in the ammonia lines.
Aside from the one incident, the spacewalkers connected the four ammonia jumpers between the new Tranquility and the Destiny lab without incident.
Station flight director Bob Dempsey gave the order to begin activating the lines and bringing the new module to life.
Behnken and Patrick's next task was to wrap the hoses in protective insulating blankets.
Inside Tranquility, station commander Jeff Williams has removed eight bolts that blocked the installation of a protective hatch cover that must be in place for the windowed cupola to be moved late Sunday.
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