Spacewalkers Wrestle With Stray Cable On Inspection Boom

Spacewalking astronaut Stephen Bowen fixed a stray cable that marred a shuttle heat shield inspection on the second day of shuttle Atlantis' mission to the International Space Station.

Bowen tied off the cable, which had been jamming a pan-and-tilt mechanism designed to allow a sensor package on the end of the shuttle's inspection boom move back and forth. The fix should enable the prime sensor package on the boom could be used during an inspection later in the mission.

"Good work, Steve-O," a crewmate said.

The astronauts had to abbreviate their Flight Day II inspection of shuttle heat shield components when the cable jam prevented the mechanism from tilting properly. Parts of the shuttle's left wing and the exterior of its crew cabin were missed.

Some of that data, however, was collected the next day by station crew members photographing the shuttle on its final approach to the outpost. Imagery analysts have yet to determine whether they have enough information to clear the shuttle for atmospheric reentry.