Spacewalk Begins

INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION (AP) - Spacewalking astronauts at
the international space station are working to help install a new
European lab.
The main task for the two astronauts is to attach a handle to
the Columbus laboratory that will let a robotic arm operator grab
hold of the module and delicately lift it from Atlantis' cargo bay.
The lab will then be installed on the right side of the Harmony
module, which Discovery's astronauts delivered in December.
The 10-ton Columbus laboratory is Europe's main contribution to
the space station.
A German astronaut was supposed to be part of the spacewalk, but
he was pulled from the job over the weekend because of an
undisclosed illness.

Spacewalk Fact Sheet
SPACEWALK
-- first spacewalk of joint mission of Atlantis and space
station crew
-- astronauts Rex Walheim and Stanley Love outside
(German astronaut Hans Schlegel supposed to be Walheim's
partner, but was ill)
-- spacewalkers assisting crewmate inside station install
Europe's Columbus module
-- flight now 12 days long because of spacewalk delay
-- engineers analyzing data on torn thermal blanket
(must determine if it can stand heat of re-entry, or if
spacewalk repairs needed)

MISSION
-- attach handle to Columbus
-- enable robotic arm operator Leland Melvin to grab module,
lift it from shuttle cargo bay
-- Melvin to install Columbus on right side of Harmony module
(Discovery astronauts delivered Harmony in December)
-- Columbus was to be launched in 1992 to mark 500th anniversary
of Columbus' voyage
(since then, the $2 billion lab has endured space station
redesigns and slowdowns, shuttle postponements and setbacks in the
wake of the 2003 shuttle Columbia accident.)
-- French Air Force Gen. Leopold Eyharts will spend month
setting up, activating lab
(he arrived aboard Atlantis)
-- 10-ton Columbus laboratory is Europe's main contribution to
space station


(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)