STS-122 Spacewalkers Prepare Columbus for Station Installation

STS-122 Mission Specialists Rex Walheim and Stanley Love kicked off the mission’s first spacewalk at 9:13 a.m. EST.

The two astronauts will perform tasks to prepare Columbus for attachment to the station. Included in these tasks is installing the Power Data Grapple Fixture on Columbus, which will allow the station’s robotic arm to grab the laboratory module and move it from space shuttle Atlantis’ payload bay to the space station’s Harmony module.

In addition, the spacewalkers will detach nitrogen lines and begin other work to remove the Nitrogen Tank Assembly, a part of the station’s thermal control system, from the P1 truss. The assembly will be replaced on the mission’s second spacewalk because its nitrogen is running low.

Columbus’ preparations will continue when Walheim and Mission Specialist Hans Schlegel perform the second spacewalk at 9:35 a.m. Wednesday.