NASA has postponed to Saturday a spacewalk that had been planned Friday outside the International Space Station. Managers decided more time was needed to prepare procedures, including the safe handling of lines routing toxic ammonia from a pump module.
The crew was just alerted by Mission Control at 11:21 a.m. EDT.
"Thanks for the hard work," spacewalker Doug Wheelock replied. "We know that people are still working into the evenings and through the night, and we really appreciate it."
"We'll be here ready, willing and able," he added.
Now, a readiness review is now scheduled for 9 a.m. EDT Friday.
If the new timing approved, Wheelock and Tracy Caldwell Dyson would begin a "campout" procedure Friday afternoon, sleeping in the Quest airlock at a lower air pressure to reduce the chance of decompression sickness.
The spacewalk would begin at 6:55 a.m. EDT and is expected to last about six hours and 30 minutes.
The second spacewalk to restore one of two station coolant loops will follow no earlier than next Wednesday.
IMAGE: Astronaut Doug Wheelock on Wednesday posted on Twitter this picture of him and fellow International Space Station resident Tracy Caldwell Dyson getting ready for their upcoming spacewalk.
1 comment:
are we waiting for the Russian review ?
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