Astronauts Release Satellite, Gear Up for Spacewalks
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. — The space shuttle Endeavour’s astronauts dropped off a NASA science satellite Sunday for two days of free flight in orbit, then geared up for the next big event: the first of two spacewalks.
Leroy Chiao and Daniel Barry were scheduled to step outside to practice orbital construction techniques 200 miles above Earth.
Neither has performed a spacewalk before. Neither has Winston Scott, who will accompany Chiao on spacewalk No. 2 on Wednesday.
The three men will try out new construction tools and connectors as well as modified suits designed to keep them warm in frigid space.
Before they could turn their attention to the 6 1/2-hour spacewalk, the six crew members had to release NASA’s science satellite.
Japanese astronaut Koichi Wakata freed the shiny, boxy satellite as Endeavour zoomed over the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Brazil. A day earlier, he had used the shuttle’s robot arm to retrieve another science satellite, launched by his country last year.
The $10-million NASA satellite is to be retrieved Tuesday. Among other things, it contains spacecraft-contamination, laser and amateur-radio experiments.
Sign up for Essential California
The most important California stories and recommendations in your inbox every morning.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
