Spacewalk Prepares the ISS for Discovery

Yesterday, a pair of astronauts currently on mission on the International Space Station (ISS) performed a spacewalk, preparing the orbital facility for the visit they would receive on Friday from NASA's Discovery shuttle. The mission will install the last array of solar panels, which will upgrade the facility to its optimum power-producing capabilities. During Tuesday's spacewalk, the astronauts installed a new scientific experiment and also upgraded the orbital lab, so that the docking would go on without a hitch.

With the new shuttle flight, seven crew members will spend a few days aboard the ISS, toiling to help the existing crew install the solar panels. The mission is also meant to change one of the members of the station and bring her back to Earth. After this night's launch, Discovery will finally dock to the ISS on Friday, after numerous delays prompted by valve security issues. The weather forecast for the mission is optimum, NASA officials have recently announced.

Yury Lonchakov, ISS flight engineer, was the leader of the spacewalk, which he performed alongside station commander Michael Fincke. “That's it, we're done. Everything is very good,” the Russian engineer said after the five-hour venture ended successfully. “This is a great gift for my birthday,” Fincke, whose real birthday is just 4 days away, added. Lonchakov celebrated his just last week, so one could say that the successful spacewalk was a gift for both members of the crew.

“There are no words in any language to describe what we're seeing right now. You see, our hard work has some positive moments to it,” one of them shared during a rest break. During yesterday's endeavor, station crewmate Sandra Magnus remained inside the ISS, coordinating the astronauts' efforts and offering valuable information. She is due to return to Earth with Discovery, as the shuttle will also carry her replacement, astronaut Koichi Wakata, from the Japanese JAXA space agency.

In addition to setting up the EXPOSE-R experiment, which subjected various organic materials to the harsh environment of the space, the space walkers also shortened six straps attached to the ISS, near a spacecraft dock, so that they wouldn't interfere with future missions. Another Russian craft is expected to dock to the ISS later this month or at the beginning of April.