Avi Blizovsky
The nine crew members of the shuttle Discovery and the International Space Station at a press conference held yesterday (Tuesday)
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The Discovery team's eighth day in the current operation was a sign of preparation for the last and historic spacewalk during which an astronaut also went out to make a repair in the lower part of the shuttle. The crew members of the shuttle and the space station also spoke with journalists and with President Bush.
"I want to thank you for taking a risk in order to make discoveries." Bush said. "We look forward to your safe arrival after you have successfully completed your mission."
Before ending his conversation, the president added: "We are all with you and wish you success."
The task managers decided on Monday to remove two bumps of the filler material used to seal gaps between the insulation tiles. The operation will be done as an addition to the tasks that the two astronauts performing the spacewalks have, in their last spacewalk today (Wednesday).
During the spacewalk, Steve Robinson will thread himself under the spacecraft while attached to the end of the space shuttle's robotic arm. He will gently move the lumps of filler until they come out. If that doesn't work, Robinson will use special cutting tools.
"This is going to be an extremely delicate task," Robinson said. "But I think it will also be an easy task.
STS-114 Mission Commander Eileen Collins transmitted a message to the control room stating that the crew members were ready for the upcoming spacewalk. The team members prepared the necessary equipment to carry out the task.
Other tasks, which were planned in advance for the operation, include, among other things, the installation of an external storage platform for the space station.
This will be Robinson's and Soichi Noguchi's third spacewalk. It is scheduled to start at 13:14 Israel time.
All crew members of the shuttle and the station participated in a press conference with reporters from the USA, Russia and Japan. The transfer of cargo between the ferry and the station continues as planned.
The daily press conference is expected at 01:00 Israel time and if there are any important things in it, we will bring its main points in the morning.
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