NASA - STS-134 Mission patch.
Sun, 22 May 2011
Spacewalker Mike Fincke installed two radiator grapple bar stowage beams on the S1 segment of the station’s truss. The beams will be used to store handles that would be necessary if a radiator ever needed to be replaced.
Image above: Mission Specialists Drew Feustel (top) and Mike Fincke conduct the second spacewalk of the STS-134 mission. Photo credit: NASA TV.
Meanwhile, astronaut Drew Feustel conducted work on the Special Purpose Dexterous Manipulator, or Dextre. Inside the space station, astronauts Greg Johnson and Cady Coleman manipulated the station’s robotic arm to deliver Dextre to Feustel. He then installed a cover on one of the robot’s cameras and lubricated the snares that allow the robot to grab equipment.
STS-134 Daily Mission Recap - Flight Day 6
Both spacewalkers now are headed back to the P3 solar alpha rotary joint to apply another layer of lubricant. Flight controllers on the ground in Houston have rotated the solar alpha rotary joint 200 degrees to spread the first layer of grease. If Feustel and Fincke have time, they also will replace covers 16, 13 and 9 before making their way back to the Quest airlock.
Astronauts Drew Feustel and Mike Fincke completed an eight hour, seven minute spacewalk at 10:12 a.m. EDT, the 6th longest spacewalk in history. They completed all planned tasks, including refilling one of the station’s cooling loops with ammonia and lubricating one of the station’s massive solar alpha rotary joints.
STS-134 EVA-2 (Mike Fincke and Andrew Feustel)
This was the second of the four STS-134 spacewalks, for a mission total of 14 hours 26 minutes. It was the 246th spacewalk conducted by U.S. astronauts, the 116th from space station airlocks, and the 157th in support of space station assembly and maintenance, totaling 988 hours, 19 min. It was Feustel's fifth spacewalk for a total time of 35 hours and 24 minutes; he is 30th on the all-time list. It was Fincke's seventh spacewalk for a total time of 34 hours and 19 minutes; he is 32nd on the all-time list.
Exploring the Wonders of the Universe
Image above: The newly-installed Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer-2 is visible at center of the International Space Station's starboard truss. The Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer, or AMS, is the largest scientific collaboration to use the orbital laboratory. This investigation is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy and made possible by funding from 16 nations. Led by Nobel Laureate Samuel Ting, more than 600 physicists from around the globe will be able to participate in the data generated from this particle physics detector. The mission of the AMS is, in part, to seek answers to the mysteries of antimatter, dark matter and cosmic ray propagation in the universe.
The crew members for space shuttle Endeavour's STS-134 mission are Commander Mark Kelly, Pilot Gregory H. Johnson and Mission Specialists Michael Fincke, Greg Chamitoff, Andrew Feustel and European Space Agency astronaut Roberto Vittori.
During the 16-day mission, Endeavour and its crew will deliver the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer (AMS) and spare parts including two S-band communications antennas, a high-pressure gas tank and additional spare parts for Dextre.
NASA's web coverage of STS-134 includes mission information, a press kit, interactive features, news conference images, graphics and videos. Mission coverage, including the latest NASA Television schedule, is available on the main space shuttle website at: http://www.nasa.gov/shuttle
NASA is providing continuous television and Internet coverage of the mission. NASA TV features live mission events, daily status news conferences and 24-hour commentary. For NASA TV streaming video, downlink and schedule information, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/ntv
Images, Videos, Text, Credit: NASA / NASA TV.
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