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2nd Spacewalk Sets Groundwork

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The Associated Press

Published: March 22, 2009

CAPE CANAVERAL - Astronauts took another spacewalk at the International Space Station on Saturday, this time to lighten the workload for future crews.

As soon as they floated outside, Steven Swanson and Joseph Acaba made their way all the way to the end of the space station's power-grid framework. They loosened bolts holding down batteries that will be replaced on the next shuttle visit in June.

The astronauts later had trouble deploying an equipment storage platform. Mission Control ordered them to give up and move on to other tasks: installing a Global Positioning System antenna and using an infrared camera to photograph a pair of radiators, one of which has a peeling cover.

Inside the space station, meanwhile, astronauts conducted a dry run of the new urine processor that was delivered by Discovery. It's part of a recycling system for turning urine and condensation into drinking water. The original urine processor broke.

The Discovery crew has one last spacewalk planned for Monday.

The Associated Press

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