Space Station Crew Fixes Jammed Antenna

Space station commander Michael Lopez-Alegria of the U.S. and Russian flight engineer Mikhail Tyurin fixed a balky problem at the international space station Thursday.

The pair depressurized the Pirs airlock module, opened a hatch and kicked off a planned six-hour spacewalk early Thursday morning.

The primary goal of the excursion, reports CBS News space consultant Bill Harwood, was to free up or cut away a navigation antenna on a Progress supply ship that failed to fully retract before the craft docked at the outpost in October. The antenna had been jammed against the Zvezda command module and Russian engineers wanted to make sure it doesn't cause any problems when the Progress undocks in April.

And the crew had success: Despite a fogged-up space helmet, Tyurin cut through one of four support struts to free the jammed antenna. Then, Tyurin and Lopez-Alegria manually pulled the antenna back away from the station and tied it in place, completing the primary objective of the spacewalk.

It was the 81st spacewalk devoted to station construction and maintenance since assembly began in 1998 and the Expedition 14 crew's fourth in less than a month. It was also the fifth and final spacewalk planned for the Expedition 14 crew.

Wearing a Russian Orlan suit, Tyurin is a veteran of four previous spacewalks with 19 hours and 14 minutes of EVA time before Thursday. Lopez-Alegria is No. 2 on the list of most experienced spacewalkers with nine previous EVAs and more than 61 hours of spacewalk time. Flight engineer Sunita Williams, who joined Lopez-Alegria for three spacewalks earlier this year, monitored the work from inside the station.

"It's really, absolutely beautiful. Stunningly beautiful," one of the spacewalkers marveled.

Russian flight controllers wanted to make sure the antenna wouldn't cause any problems when the supply craft undocks in April.

Progress cargo ships regularly ferry supplies to the international space station. Shortly before a new cargo ship is launched, the old one — filled with garbage — is removed and dumped in the ocean to free the station's docking port.

Tyurin and Lopez-Alegria were unable to manually pull the antenna away, prompting the use of a NASA tool similar to garden shears. Tyurin made two cuts through a strut in the retraction drive mechanism, allowing the spacewalkers to pull the antenna back about six inches. They used wire ties to secure it before turning their attention to other planned tasks.

Throughout Thursday's spacewalk, Tyurin has had problems with his spacesuit's sublimator system, which helps provide cooling. He also reported helmet fogging.

"Misha, do you see this?" Lopez-Alegria asked at one point.

"I'm sorry, what Michael?"

"Do you see the (sublimator) snowflakes?"

"No, I don't see anything," Tyurin replied.

"Are you blind, Misha?"

"Yep, I don't see anything. I don't see space, I don't see the Earth, I just see the guide here."

Despite the problems, the spacewalkers were able to complete the antenna retraction and later, Tyurin reported the sublimator appeared to be working better with improved cooling.

With the Progress antenna out of the way, Harwood reports Tyurin and Lopez-Alegria plan to:

• Tighten an antenna on an aft Zvezda handrail
  
• Move up to the aft-top section of the command module to photograph an antenna and cabling needed for future dockings by a new European Space Agency supply ship
  
• Photograph four reflectors on the back end of Zvezda
  
• Remove and replace a Russian space exposure experiment
  
• Move up to the forward end of Zvezda to mate an experiment connector
  
• Photograph hand rails on the left side of the command module where micrometeoroid debris panels will be mounted later
  
• Photograph another external experiment package
  
• Inspect a Russian boom on Pirs used to move cargo and spacewalkers.