The spacewalkers were not able to fully install the storage facility this time as well * NASA has meanwhile given up on installing an identical facility on the other side of the station * Maneuver to avoid space debris
During the third spacewalk of the Discovery team on mission sts-119 tonight, astronauts Joseph Akaba and Richard Arnold tried to fully install the UCASS system - an uncompressed external storage on the outside of the PORT 3 component. As you remember, Akaba and Steve Swanson who performed the spacewalk the second in the mission,
On Saturday they were not able to attach it to its place in a good way. Control Center suggested the spacewalkers stop trying to lower it and secure the UCCASS in place using long straps. This will protect the equipment until the next attempt, which will be made as mentioned today.
Due to the inability to locate the cause of the malfunction, the control center canceled the installation attempt on the right side of the station.
Earlier, John Phillips and Koichi Wakata managed to direct the spacewalkers to move the equipment carriage from component P1 to component S1. Akaba and Arnold moved the trailer to its new location.
The current spacewalk is the 123rd as part of the efforts to assemble and maintain the International Space Station.
Again the space debris prevention maneuver
Regardless of this malfunction, on Sunday NASA ordered the crews of the space station and the shuttle Discovery to use the shuttle engines to lower the joint complex of the station and the shuttle by several kilometers. This is to avoid colliding with a component of a Chinese satellite launcher that has completed its mission. The 10-centimeter-diameter fragment cruises at the same altitude It was where the space station sailed until yesterday, but with an orbital inclination of 98 degrees, compared to 51.6 of the station. This would cause it to visit the area where the station is located several times in the coming days.
