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Astronauts Go On Spacewalk To Install Solar Wings

AP Photo

Space Shuttle Discovery crew member Richard Arnold beginning his space walk outside the international space station orbiting Earth.

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By The Associated Press

Published: March 19, 2009

CAPE CANAVERAL - A pair of astronauts ventured out on a spacewalk Thursday to help install the last set of solar wings at the international space station.

It's the top job for the space station and shuttle Discovery crews.

Spacewalkers Steven Swanson and Richard Arnold II emerged from the linked station-shuttle complex as it soared 220 miles above the Pacific near New Guinea, with the moon shining in the darkness.

"Give us some more power," said the space station's skipper, Mike Fincke. "Good luck."

Astronauts inside moved the $300 million framework containing the folded-up wings into position, using the space station's robotic arm. Swanson and Arnold were there to help guide the massive structure and hook everything up.

Discovery delivered the new wings earlier this week. It's the last set of solar wings to be installed at the 10-year-old space station and will bring it to full power. It's also the last major American-made piece of the space station.

Once the 31,000-pound, 45-foot long girder is anchored to the space station, the spacewalkers will release and remove the locks and cinches holding down the solar wings. That will allow the 115-foot wings to be unfurled Friday.

Six solar wings already are in place at the space station. The new ones will bring the number to eight, with four wings on each side.

The space station "is almost symmetric, looking forward to that becoming permanent today," Mission Control said in a wake-up message to the astronauts.

NASA needs the extra electrical power that the new wings will provide in order to boost the amount of research being conducted at the space station. The pace of science work will pick up once the number of station crew members doubles to six; that's supposed to happen in two more months.

Swanson was making the third spacewalk of his career. Arnold, a former schoolteacher, was on his first.

Thursday's spacewalk was the first of three planned for Discovery's space station visit. There should have been four spacewalks, but delays in launching the shuttle cut the mission short.

Discovery needs to leave the space station Wednesday so that a Russian spacecraft can bring up a fresh crew.

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