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Atlantis readied for final mission to service the Hubble Space Telescope.

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Endeavour's dual preps for standby rescue craft and June construction flight to space station.

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Launch of Kepler

Kepler planet-finder begins its mission to discover Earth-like worlds orbiting other stars in the galaxy.

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LRO and LCROSS

NASA's new lunar orbiter and impactor experiment are being prepped for launch in May.

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Delta 4 and GOES O

A Delta 4 rocket has rolled out to launch a new geostationary weather satellite.

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Shuttle mission STS-126

High definition from orbit! New clips from Endeavour's mission to the space station.

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Historical footage from the early days of the space program.

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Successful spacewalk ends
BY WILLIAM HARWOOD
STORY WRITTEN FOR CBS NEWS "SPACE PLACE" & USED WITH PERMISSION
Posted: June 5, 2009

Michael Barratt, wrapping up his first spacewalk, rode a telescoping boom high above the International Space Station today for a photo survey of newly installed docking antennas. In the process, he beamed down spectacular helmet cam views of the lab's Russian segment and the Earth 220 miles below.

"How's the view, Michael?" someone radioed.

"The station is so beautiful," Barratt replied.

Barratt and Expedition 20 commander Gennady Padalka began the spacewalk at 3:52 a.m., an hour behind schedule because of concern about higher-than-expected carbon dioxide levels in their new Orlan MK spacesuits. Russian engineers ultimately concluded the suits were good to go and the crew was cleared to proceed.

Working around the forward end of the Zvezda command module, Padalka and Barratt installed docking system antennas and cabling to permit a Russian docking module, scheduled for launch atop a Soyuz rocket in November, to home in on the station and dock at Zvezda's upward-facing port.

The MRM-2 module, similar to Pirs module attached to Zvezda's Earth-facing port, will serve as a combination airlock and docking module for future visits by Soyuz crew ferry craft and unmanned Progress supply ships. The new module will provide a fourth Russian docking port to support the increased traffic required by a full-time crew of six and permit Progress ships to dock at Pirs more frequently, providing improved roll control for the lab complex.

Padalka and Barratt had no problems installing the antennas needed for the automated rendezvous system. Russian engineers carried out electrical continuity checks to make sure the equipment was properly wired and Barratt, on the end of a Russian Strela boom, carried out a photo survey to make sure they were properly aligned.

The spacewalkers then returned to the Pirs module and closed its hatch at 8:46 a.m., ending a four-hour 54-minute spacewalk. Today's excursion, the 124th devoted to station assembly and maintenance, pushed total EVA construction time to 779 hours and 54 minutes.

Padalka and Barratt plan to carry out a short internal spacewalk Wednesday, working in vacuum inside Zvezda's forward compartment to complete the zenith port's outfitting.

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Additional coverage for subscribers:
VIDEO: PREVIEW OF TWO SPACEWALKS BY EXPEDITION 20 PLAY

VIDEO: CREW'S INTERNATIONAL NEWS CONFERENCE PLAY

VIDEO: HATCH OPENING AND WELCOMING CEREMONY PLAY
VIDEO: SOYUZ SPACECRAFT DOCKS TO SPACE STATION PLAY

VIDEO: FULL LAUNCH EXPERIENCE FROM LIFTOFF TO ORBIT PLAY
VIDEO: NARRATED HIGHLIGHTS OF CREW'S LAUNCH PREPS PLAY

VIDEO: CREW MEETS VIPS AND REPORTERS ON EVE OF LAUNCH PLAY
VIDEO: SOYUZ MOVED TO LAUNCH PAD FOR EXPEDITION 20 PLAY
VIDEO: ASSEMBLY OF RUSSIAN SOYUZ ROCKET COMPLETED PLAY
VIDEO: HIGHLIGHTS OF CREW'S ACTIVITIES AT BAIKONUR PLAY
VIDEO: MISSION OVERVIEW BRIEFING FOR EXPEDITION 20 PLAY
VIDEO: EXPEDITION 20 CREW PRE-FLIGHT BRIEFING PLAY
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