|
|
|
|
|
Spare ammonia pump installed into station truss BY WILLIAM HARWOOD STORY WRITTEN FOR CBS NEWS "SPACE PLACE" & USED WITH PERMISSION Posted: August 16, 2010 
Astronaut Douglas Wheelock, anchored to the end of the space station's robot arm, manhandled a 780-pound ammonia pump into the International Space Station's starboard one, or S1, truss segment, replacing a faulty pump that was removed during a spacewalk last week. "Like butta," Wheelock said as the module slid into the truss. "Like butta," Caldwell Dyson agreed. "OK, I think we're in there," Wheelock reported a moment later. "Outstanding," replied robot arm operator Shannon Walker. "Good job, guys," Oscar Koehler called from mission control in Houston. While Wheelock bolted the new pump in place, Caldwell Dyson connected five data cables and power lines, completing the work at 9:04 a.m. A few minutes later, flight controllers powered up the pump module, the oldest of four spares aboard the station, to verify electrical continuity and to spin up the pump's drive shaft for a brief test. "The bump test has been successful," Koehler called from Houston. "Oh, sweet! That's awesome news," Wheelock replied. Wheelock then pressed ahead with work to re-connect ammonia coolant lines and to disconnect a pressure-regulating "jumper box" that was installed earlier. Earlier this morning, the spacewalkers removed the spare ammonia pump module from the external stowage platform No. 2. Wheelock broke torque on four bolts holding the pump module in place, using a torque multiplier to loosen a particularly tight one, while Caldwell Dyson installed protective caps on a variety of connectors. "OK, Oscar, bolt three's released," Wheelock radioed at 8 a.m. after releasing the final bolt holding the pump in place. A moment later, Oscar Koehler in mission control gave the spacewalkers permission to remove the pump. Anchored to the end of the space station's robot arm, Wheelock held the 780-pound pump while astronaut Shannon Walker, operating the space crane from inside the Destiny laboratory module, pulled him away from external stowage platform No. 2. Once the new pump module was in place in the S1 truss segment, Wheelock used a power tool to lock it down with four bolts. Caldwell Dyson, meanwhile, attached the five electrical cables.
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||
VIDEO:
POST-SPACEWALK NO. 2 STATUS BRIEFING 