[sarex] Crews Continue Spacewalk Preparations

[Arthur Rowe]

SUBMITTED BY ARTHUR N1ORC - AMSAT A/C #31468

*Crews Continue Spacewalk Preparations*
2 November 2007

Image Above: The mobile transporter (lower center) moves towards the 
center of the station's truss structure. Image credit: NASA TO VIEW 
IMAGE GO TO:http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/main/index.html

The STS-120 and Expedition 16 crews will continue to work today on the 
tools and procedures for Saturday’s spacewalk to repair a torn solar 
array. Mission Specialists Scott Parazynski and Doug Wheelock will 
conduct the excursion, which is slated to kick off at 6:28 a.m. EDT 
Saturday.

Parazynski will make the repair while suspended from a boom attached to 
the space station’s robotic arm, and Wheelock will assist from the 
station’s truss. Mission Specialist Stephanie Wilson and Expedition 16 
Flight Engineer Dan Tani will be operating the station’s robotic arm 
from the robotic work station inside the Destiny laboratory. Mission 
Specialist Paolo Nespoli will be the spacewalk coordinator.

The Mobile Transporter has moved near the center of the truss structure 
to let Canadarm2 grapple the shuttle’s arm extension, the Orbiter Boom 
Sensor System, before handing it back to the shuttle’s robotic arm for 
the night. Canadarm2 will use the extension to provide support for 
Parazynski on the Saturday spacewalk.

+ View images from Nov. 1 Mission Status Briefing 
<http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/sts120/news/msb_sts120_fd10.html> 


In the midst of all the activity on Thursday, the two crews were able to 
take a few minutes out of their work to talk with former President 
George H.W. Bush as he and his wife Barbara visited the Johnson Space 
Center and Mission Control.

“We're so very proud of what you're doing,” he told the astronauts.

*Mission Information*
+ STS-120 Mission Overview 
<http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/sts120/index.html>
+ Harmony Node 2 
<http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/behindscenes/harmony_payload.html>
+ Space Shuttle Discovery 
<http://www.nasa.gov/centers/kennedy/shuttleoperations/orbiters/discovery-info.html>