NASA, via Reuters
NASA Video of Saturday's Spacewalk: Two NASA astronauts at the International Space Station began the first of at least two spacewalks on Dec. 21. Their goal is to replace a malfunctioning pump module that is part of the cooling system.
Two NASA astronauts, working more quickly than expected, completed a spacewalk on Saturday in which they took the first steps to repair a malfunctioning pump module that is part of the cooling system for the International Space Station.
The astronauts, Col. Michael S. Hopkins of the Air Force and Richard A. Mastracchio, were far ahead of schedule throughout the nearly five-and-half-hour spacewalk as they detached tubing and electrical connectors from the pump. They were able to remove the 780-pound module and move it to a temporary storage location, a task that had been scheduled for completion during a second spacewalk.
Koichi Wakata, a Japanese astronaut, was operating a robotic arm from inside the station to help with the repairs.
Colonel Hopkins and Mr. Mastracchio stepped out of an airlock at 7:01 a.m. Eastern time, and even though they accomplished more than they had set out to do, they were able to return at 12:29 p.m., an hour earlier than scheduled. The two encountered few complications.
There were also no problems with the spacesuits, which was not the case during a spacewalk in July when a leak in the cooling system caused the helmet of an Italian astronaut to partly fill with water. That spacewalk was called off early as the astronaut, Luca Parmitano, hurried back inside the space station.
For Saturday's spacewalk, Colonel Hopkins used the same suit, but critical components had been replaced, and NASA engineers expressed confidence that the problem — a clogged filter — had been fixed.
NASA had also developed two low-tech workarounds in case there was a repeat of the earlier problem. The astronauts had absorbent pads installed in the back of their helmets and during the spacewalk tilted their heads to check if the pads were "squishy." Neither astronaut reported any signs of moisture in their helmets.
The astronauts also had improvised snorkels made out of plastic tubing and Velcro, extending from their helmets down into the chest area of the spacesuit. If water encroached, the tube would allow them to breathe air from the lower part of the suit.
Saturday's spacewalk was required after a valve controlling one of two loops of circulating ammonia that cool equipment on the space station malfunctioned on Dec. 11. When efforts to control the ammonia flow using a different valve proved inadequate, space station managers decided to send the astronauts out to make repairs.
The work is scheduled to continue on Tuesday.
This article has been revised to reflect the following correction:
Correction: December 21, 2013
An earlier version of this article misidentified the astronaut who is wearing a spacesuit that once leaked. It is Col. Michael S. Hopkins, not Richard A. Mastracchio.
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