Astronauts Doug Wheelock and Tracy Caldwell Dyson have officially completed the sixth-longest spacewalk ever, the longest from the International Space Station when no space shuttle was present. The spacewalk ended at 3:22 p.m. EDT with a total elapsed time of eight hours and three minutes, over an hour longer than planned.
The spacewalkers' work to remove a failed ammonia pump module fell behind when one of four fluid coolant lines stuck in place and leaked a shower of ammonia crystals toward the astronauts.
The duo eventually loosened the stuck valve, but continued leakage of ammonia prevented them from disconnecting the line as the spacewalk neared its end.
The astronauts needed to take extra time to clean up and make sure their spacesuits weren't contaminated, finding none. But mission controllers called for additional ammonia detection tests inside the Quest airlock to be safe..
Space station managers plan to host a media briefing within two hours to discuss the day's events and plans for a follow-up spacewalk as early as Wednesday, one that will be much busier because of the limited progress made today.
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