Success in space: Astronaut completes tile cleanup
SPACE CENTER in HOUSTON, Texas (WFAA ABC 8/AP) — A spacewalking astronaut gently pulled two potentially dangerous strip of protruding fabric from Discovery's belly with his gloved hand Wednesday, successfully completing an unprecedented emergency repair job.
Astronaut Stephen Robinson said both pieces came out easily. He did not have to use a makeshift hacksaw put together in orbit that he brought along just in case.
"That came out very easily, probably even less force," Robinson said of the second piece. "I don't see any more gap filler. ... I'm doing my own inspection here. It is a very nice orbital belly."
NASA officials had determined that the exposed ceramic-fiber fillers could lead to overheating and a possible repeat of Columbia's disastrous re-entry.
Robinson attached a special foot restraint to the space station's 58-foot robotic arm and fellow astronauts aboard the station maneuvered the arm so Robinson could reach the shuttle's belly. It was the first time an astronaut has ventured beneath the ship.
Robinson took only the essential tools for the repair—leaving a tile repair kit just outside the airlock. He also secured his safety tethers between his legs and behind him to keep from accidentally striking the vehicle.
Once under Discovery's belly, Robinson expected to spend about an hour removing or trimming the fillers from two locations near the shuttle's nose. It took mere seconds for him to pull each strip.
His spacewalking partner, Soichi Noguchi, kept a close eye on Robinson and was set to communicate with astronauts aboard the orbiting complex if Robinson's communication system failed.
"Steve, we trained for four years, you're going to spend the next four years signing autographs," Noguchi told his spacewalking partner once the repairs were complete.
NASA thought the first gap filler was the trickier of the two. They believed it remained glued to a shim that was bonded to a thermal tile.
There are 24,300 glass coated tiles on the shuttle, a majority of them on its belly. The tiles protect the shuttle from the extreme temperatures in orbit and, more importantly, insulate the ship during launch and re-entry.
The filler material protects the tiles from bumping against one another during launch, but isn't needed for landing because of the difference in the airflow.
Before heading to the repair site, the pair spent about two hours installing an external tool and parts platform on the international space station, where Discovery has been docked since Thursday.
The platform's installation was the key task of the mission's third spacewalk until NASA officials determined the exposed fillers could threaten Discovery's re-entry.
Columbia broke apart over Texas in 2003 as its crew returned to Earth from a 16-day mission. The disaster was blamed on a chunk of foam that fell from the external tank during liftoff and tore a hole in one of spacecraft's wings. All seven astronauts died.
Discovery, set to land Monday, is the first shuttle to return to orbit since the tragedy. New damage surveys developed in Columbia's aftermath detected the drooping material on Discovery.
"You guys did a great job," Mission Control radioed after the emergency filler removal. "Congratulations."
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