No Spacewalks, so Astronauts Get Day to Relax

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. —  Astronauts aboard the space shuttle Columbia, disappointed by the cancellation of their spacewalks, took time off to relax Sunday, NASA officials said.

The five crew members were mostly silent overnight after hearing that the two spacewalks planned for their mission had been canceled because of Columbia’s stuck outer hatch.

NASA engineers were unable to determine why the hatch, leading from the air-lock chamber to the cargo bay, had jammed. They feared attempts to force the door open would only make matters worse and called off two spacewalks aimed at practicing space-station assembly.

The astronauts were given an extra hour of sleep and awakened to the song “Shooting Star” by Bad Company about 3 p.m. PST Sunday to begin their 13th day in space.

NASA managers were scheduled to meet today to decide whether to extend the flight by one day so a U.S.-German orbiting observatory, released from the shuttle Nov. 19, could make further observations, said mission commentator Rob Navias.