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ASTRONAUTS MAKING THE last spacewalk of NASA’s space shuttle era on Tuesday retrieved a broken pump from the International Space Station and installed a filler-up experiment for a robot.
The space station’s two-armed robot Dextre won’t tackle the $22.6 million playset — a fancy Fisher-Price toy as one astronaut describes it — until long after Atlantis departs and the shuttle program ends.
But perhaps more than anything else on this final journey by a shuttle, the robotic demo illustrates the possibilities ahead for NASA: satellite-refueling stations in space run by robots.
In a departure from previous shuttle visits, the spacewalking job fell to space station astronauts, Michael Fossum and Ronald Garan Jr, who teamed up for three spacewalks in 2008.
The four-person Atlantis crew is the smallest in decades, and so the lone spacewalk of the mission was handed over to the full-time station residents.
It was the 160th spacewalk in the 12-and-a-half year life of the orbiting outpost, and the last one planned for Americans for more than a year.
“To see that we’ve really done it, it’s just awe-inspiring,” Fossum said of the completed space station and all the spacewalks that went into it. “Ron and I are honored to be a part of it, to help close out one of the final chapters.”
Watch:
Fossum and Garan completed the two major chores — the pump removal and robotic test hookup — inside three-and-a-half hours. They spent the rest of the six-and-a-half hour spacewalk on a variety of small tasks.
The two paused during their spacewalk to admire the view 245 miles below — Kennedy Space Center — and on the next swing around the world, Houston, home to Mission Control.
“Hello Kennedy, beautiful launch,” Fossum called out. Atlantis departed Kennedy on Friday on the very last shuttle launch.
The ammonia coolant pump stopped working last July and, for more than two weeks, left the space station with only half its cooling capability. Space station residents had to perform three emergency spacewalks last summer to replace the pump and restore full cooling to all the on-board equipment.
NASA wants the pump brought back to Earth so engineers can figure out why it failed to help them keep the on-board station pumps running. The space station is intended to operate until at least 2020.
Garan gripped the pump as the space station’s robot arm maneuvered him over to Atlantis. The pump was anchored in the shuttle’s payload bay, ready for next week’s ride home. A small object ended up floating away, possibly a fabric strap from some insulation.
As they turned their attention to the robotic experiment, the spacewalkers thanked all the thousands of people who worked on the shuttle. “It is really beautiful,” Garan said.
Flight controllers choked up as Garan wrapped up work in the shuttle payload bay and noted that he was leaving it for the last time — the last time by anyone.
“We’re technical people and we keep our heads in the game in real time,” said Mission Control’s Glenda Brown, the lead spacewalk officer, “but there wasn’t any one of us who didn’t have a little bit of a catch in our throat.”
NASA is turning to private enterprise in the post-shuttle period, so it can meet the White House goal of sending astronauts to an asteroid by 2025 and Mars the decade after that.
The 13-day flight by Atlantis is the last for the 30-year shuttle programme. Atlantis is due to return on 21 July to Kennedy, where it will go on display at a tourist center.
- AP
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I think there will be a lot more Bulls coming out following this story.
Simpson scene:- Marge can i have a pet duck ? No Homer , you have Benji the bull ! . well can he have a duck?
He’s had to emigrate to live a life true to himself. Sounds like a well-trodden Irish path.
He doesn’t get to be himself- he won’t be a gay bull anymore he’ll be a bullock -
The Iona Institute are hopefully pissed off over this.. The bull raised cash faster than they did. :-)
Please stop calling it an “Institute”: it’s a lobby group that writes conservative opinion pieces which it refers to as “papers”.
UK law would not permit an organisation like this to refer to itself as an “Institute” and nor should secular Ireland.
The only learned thing about his conservative lobby group is the name “Iona”, which it has re-appropriated from the Abbey set up in Scotland by St Columba.
Rank over!
@winding. Utterly and completely agree with you.
But that’s the name they legally got, so that’s what the homophobic sods have to be called.
However, from now on, I’ll phrase them this way… Iona ‘Institute’.
Apols and lesson learned.
@David: Thanks!
I would suggest that if the Iona ‘Institute’ need money that badly, then they should apply for funding like real centres of learning do – from the Higher Education Authority.
I suspect that’d quickly dispel their confusion about the difference between their lobby group and the many bona fide academic institutions whose reputations they bring into disrepute by using ‘Institute’ in their title.
Now can these same people put their hands in their pockets and give money to child line also. Iv nothing against a gay bull but some people need to get their priorities right
Three questions: Why are humans more important than cattle? Why do you care what people donate their own money to? Do you regularly donate to child line?
Yes, I believe children that may need to ring child line are more important than this bull, I do give to charity by the way, and no I don’t care what other people do with their money. But are you honestly saying that saving this bull is worth more than children living in fear having a number to ring when they need it?
I believe animals are as important as humans. That’s what animal rights is about. So these people who wanted to donate, it’s their choice and their right to have those beliefs.
I believe it’s equally important to save a bull from fear/harm as to save a human from fear/harm.
Good luck with the mooove Benjy
I keep waiting for this to be confirmed as a wind up but it seems like its genuine. Sad reflection on society when something as trivial can not only garner publicity but actually raise money too. I look forward to the gay lobby getting behind (no pun intended) more noble causes.
I think it’s a sad reflection on society that people see animals’ lives as trivial. And this story is a good reflection on society.
So why aren’t you and the gay lobby out there campaigning to save straight bulls? How long have you been hetero phobic?
I am trying to save straight animals, haha. Most of the animals I try to save are straight or if they’re gay then I don’t know it…Most of the animals that ARAN tries to save are probably straight.
Fcuk sake, the bull isn’t fir for purpose, he should be made into burgers!
What because an animal isnt fit for purpose in industry eyes that he deserves to be slaughtered.
so any animal not fit for purpose deserves death? Are u serious? This is why animals rights are always stampled on . Human race is turning into something vile.
Would u say the same about a human not been fit for purpose?
It’s strange that a bull got saved only because it raped other bulls.
I mean, no other bulls were a fan of Benji’s prodding, I’m sure.
He should be hanging up in a factory!!
Where does AI man get his stock, couldn’t benjin have been a donor.
If benjy was that good a bull he would have(a) lived out his life at an AI station (with other bulls )
And (b) he wouldn’t have been bought for 5 grand or so -
He’s a hornless bull
What a load of bo#lo#ks.
Good bye my friend
Must have been some closet.
I wouldn’t mind but he’s an absolutely dreadful looking bull. If he was straight he’d easily be bought for less than 2000, total discrimination against heterosexual Bulls.
A very moving story. As I get older, I’m moving towards a veggie diet. I know I’m very sentimental over
Animals. I no longer eat beef or lamb. Animals do know when they get near the slaughter house. It’s terrible,
They are living beings.
That bull looks fairly feminine
Good im glad he was saved. Jus cause he doesn serve industry expectations.
Hate what this world has become oh no there no use slaughter them as if a life means nothing.
Shameful and humans should be ashamed of themselves to allow other animals lifes be so disposable to them.
Sometimes its evident humans are the worst thing to happen this world. Destroying every th in and anything
What a relief for the straight bulls of Ireland.
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