Astronauts Link Harmony to ISS

Engineers work around the clock to make mission safer

(NEWSER) - NASA has pushed back until tomorrow a spacewalk to repair a key solar panel, allowing engineers as much prep time as possible for the risky mission. An astronaut will perch alone on the station’s 80-foot robotic arm to work on the electrified panel. "It's a real test of the adaptability of this team," a NASA honcho told the Houston Chronicle. More»

(AP) - Two astronauts who were teaching math and science to middle school students just 5 years ago went on a spacewalk together today, their path cleared of dangerous orbiting junk that had threatened the space station and shuttle. It's the first time two former schoolteachers have been on a spacewalk together, and is the third and final spacewalk for shuttle Discovery's mission. More»

Robot arm, Discovery crew members team up to lay groundwork

(NEWSER) - Two spacewalking astronauts are preparing the enormous Japanese-made Kibo lab for eventual installation on the International Space Station, the Houston Chronicle reports. After getting a late start this morning because of a communications malfunction, Mike Fossum and Ron Garan sped through their checklists and got back ahead of schedule. The expedition is expected to take almost 7 hours. More»

Astronauts set up inspection boom for next mission

(NEWSER) - A pair of Endeavour astronauts completed the last spacewalk of their historic assembly mission tonight, the Houston Chronicle reports. Over 6 hours, Mike Forman and Bob Behnken set up an inspection boom outside the International Space Station to help future shuttles avoid disasters like the 2003 Columbia tragedy. The boom scans thermal armor for damage that shuttles may sustain in the nose and wings after launch. More»

NASA solves glitch; astronauts continue assembly tonight

(NEWSER) - Dextre's finally getting some juice. Astronauts aboard the international space station solved a glitch last night and got power flowing to their partially built robot, the AP reports. Now they can go ahead with a spacewalk tonight to finish assembling it. “There was obviously some real concern over the last day or two for getting that powered up,” said one official. More»