Spacewalkers Prep Italian Cupola For Grand Opening

Endeavour spacewalkers Bob Behnken and Nicholas Patrick are outside the International Space Station, prepping a domed Italian observation deck for the grand opening of seven windows that will provide unmatched views of planet Earth as well as a perch from which to control robot arm operations and the comings and goings of visiting vehicles.

Behnken and Patrick are midway through an operation aimed at removing thermal insulation panels from the Cupola, which was hauled up by the Endeavour astronauts along with the U.S. Tranquility module. The Cupola now is moored to an Earth-facing port on the underside of Tranquility. They are running well ahead of schedule.

The spacewalkers also will be removing locks that held the windows and shutters in place during a thundering launch Feb. 8 from Kennedy Space Center. There are three launch locks on each window.

That work will clear the way for Endeavour pilot Terry Virts to send computer commands to open the shutters for the very first time -- a moment many are looking forward to.

"We really are looking forward to watching you unwrap the new Cupola," Mission Control said in a message beamed up to the crew. "Like you, we can wait to see the views."

Virts is scheduled to swing open the shutters at about 12:34 a.m.

You can watch the grand opening as it unfolds right here in The Flame Trench. Click the NASA TV box on the right side of the page to launch our NASA TV viewer and round-the-clock coverage of Endeavour's mission to the station.

The message beamed up to the crew is within this Flight Day 10 Execute Package, which details minute-by-minute the flight plan for today.

The timing for major mission milestones is in this latest revision -- Rev J -- of the STS-130 NASA TV Schedule.