Crew Completes Third Spacewalk

The third and final spacewalk of STS-112 came to a close Monday at 3:47 p.m. CDT (2047 GMT). Astronauts Piers Sellers and David Wolf continued work to activate and outfit the S1 (S-One) Truss, which was attached to the International Space Station on Thursday.

During the 6-hour, 36-minute excursion, they installed fluid jumpers that will allow ammonia coolant to flow between the S0 (S-Zero) and S1 Trusses. Other work on the S1 included installation of more Spool Positioning Devices on ammonia lines and removal launch support brackets that are no longer required. They also removed and replaced the Interface Umbilical Assembly on the station’s Mobile Transporter.

Supporting the spacewalk, which was the 46th conducted at the station, were STS-112 Commander Jeff Ashby, Pilot Pam Melroy and Mission Specialist Sandy Magnus and NASA ISS Science Officer Peggy Whitson. Melroy coordinated the extravehicular activity. Ashby operated the shuttle robot arm, and Magnus and Whitson were at the controls of the station arm.

Prior to the start of the spacewalk, Ashby and Melroy fired Atlantis’ engines to raise the station’s orbit by 3.7 kilometers (2.3 miles). It was the second reboost maneuver of the mission, raising the station a total of 9.7 kilometers (6 miles).

Tuesday is the final full day of joint operations for the STS-112 and Expedition Five crews.

Source: NASA