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Astronauts Finish Tough Assignment

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The Associated Press

Published: January 31, 2008

CAPE CANAVERAL - Two astronauts pulled off a riskier and trickier-than-usual spacewalk Wednesday, replacing a failed electric motor and giving the International Space Station a much-needed power boost.

Once the new motor that tilts the solar wing toward the sun was hooked up, electricity began flowing through, and it checked out fine.

The station's power system still has problems; a joint for rotating one set of solar wings is mysteriously clogged with metal shavings and can't be fixed until later this year. Wednesday's successful operation, however, added to the power margin at the orbiting outpost and cleared the way for the deliveries of two science labs.

Atlantis is supposed to lift off with the European Space Agency's Columbus lab next week after a two-month delay, but a new problem could force yet another postponement.

An inspection Tuesday uncovered a bent radiator hose in the shuttle's payload bay. The hose works as is and doesn't leak Freon, but some engineers fear it could break from the vibrations during liftoff.
Shuttle program manager Wayne Hale said his team will review the problem again Saturday and, until then, preparations will proceed toward a Feb. 7 launch.

Discovery had a similarly bent radiator hose during two flights, without any leakage, Hale said. The braided metal hose is supposed to retract into a box with rollers when the payload bay doors are closed, "and clearly something is not lining up in that box properly," he said.

NASA may decide to fly Atlantis without any repairs or could try to straighten the hose, Hale said. Replacing the hose could lead to a launch delay.

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