Astronauts Poised To Free Up Jammed Fluid Line Connector

Spacewalkers Doug Wheelock and Tracy Caldwell-Dyson are poised to make a second attempt to free a jammed connector and remove the last of four coolant lines hooked to a faulty ammonia pump.

Wheelock is manipulating the ammonia line, and so far only a few "snowflakes" of toxic coolant have been detected. The line spewed coolant last Saturday when a first attempt to remove it was made.

"Keeping an eye on it. I don't see any leak," Wheelock told Mission Control. A moment later, he added, "Okay, I see a couple of little snowflakes. But I don't see anything leaking around the white band like last time."

Wheelock closed a quick disconnect valve near the connector to isolate it from ammonia flow. Mission Control decided that Caldwell-Dyson would not need to close another valve further upstream from the connector.

Wheelock will use a tool to vent any residual ammonia from the M3 line. If all goes well, then he'll try to remove the last of four fluid lines connected to faulty ammonia pump the astronauts are attempting to remove from the station's central truss.