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Astronauts Go Spacewalking, P6 Arrays Continue to Fold
:: 13 June, 2007
Astronauts Pat Forrester and Steve Swanson kicked off STS-117’s second spacewalk at 2:28 p.m. EDT today. The objectives of the excursion are to continue preparing the newly installed Starboard 3 and 4 (S3/S4) truss segment for operation and to assist with the retraction of the starboard solar array on the Port 6 (P6) truss.
They will spend most of the first hour of the 6½ hour spacewalk monitoring the retraction of the P6 array and will assist if required. Retraction of the array began at 6:47 a.m., and by 2:30 p.m., 7½ of the 31½ bays had been retracted. Once the P6 arrays are furled, the stage is set for a future shuttle crew to relocate the P6 from atop the space station to the end of the Port 5 truss.
After the orbital duo leaves the P6, their attention will turn to the S3/S4 truss. Forrester and Swanson will prepare the Solar Alpha Rotary Joint (SARJ) for operation by removing the remaining launch restraints. The SARJ will allow the arrays to track the sun.
Mission Specialist Jim Reilly is coordinating the spacewalk, and Pilot Lee Archambault is at the controls of the station’s robotic arm. Two more spacewalks are scheduled for STS-117. Today’s excursion is slated to wrap up about 8:58 p.m.
In other activities, Expedition 15 Commander Fyodor Yurchikhin and Flight Engineers Oleg Kotov and Clayton Anderson continue to transfer cargo between the station and Space Shuttle Atlantis.
News Inside News:
Patrick G. Forrester ( Colonel, USA, ret.)
NASA Astronaut
PERSONAL DATA: Born March 31, 1957 in El Paso, Texas. Married to the former Diana Lynn Morris of Springfield, Virginia. They have two children. He enjoys baseball and running. His parents, Colonel (ret.) Redmond V. and Patsy L. Forrester, reside in Fort Walton Beach, Florida. Her father, Colonel (ret.) Lurie J. Morris, resides in Jacksonville, Florida. Her mother, Bettye Morris, is deceased.
EDUCATION: Graduated from West Springfield High School, Springfield, Virginia in 1975; received a bachelor of science degree in applied sciences and engineering from the United States Military Academy, West Point, New York, in 1979, and a master of science degree in mechanical and aerospace engineering from the University of Virginia in 1989.
AWARDS: Defense Superior Service Medal; Legion of Merit; Meritorious Service Medal (2nd Oak Leaf Cluster); Army Commendation Medal; Army Achievement Medal; National Defense Service Medal; Expert Infantryman Badge.
SPECIAL HONORS: The Jack Northrop Award, Society of Experimental Test Pilots (1996). The Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center Certificate of Commendation (1995). NASA Space Flight Medal (2001). The Order of St. Michael (2001).
EXPERIENCE: Forrester graduated from West Point in June 1979 and was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the U.S. Army. He entered the U.S. Army Aviation School in 1979 and was designated an Army aviator in September 1980. He was subsequently assigned as an instructor pilot at the Aviation School and as the Aide-de-Camp to the Deputy Commanding General of the U.S. Army Aviation Center. In 1984, he was assigned to the 25th Infantry Division (Light), Schofield Barracks, Hawaii, where he served as a platoon leader, aviation company operations officer, and an assault helicopter battalion operations officer. After completing a Master of Science degree at the University of Virginia in 1989, he was assigned as a flight test engineer and as the research and development coordinator with the Army Aviation Engineering Flight Activity at Edwards Air Force Base, California. In June 1992, he graduated from the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School and was designated an experimental test pilot. In 1992, he was assigned as an engineering test pilot at the U.S. Army Aviation Technical Test Center, Fort Rucker, Alabama. Other military schools include the Army Parachutist Course, U.S. Army Ranger School, the Combined Arms Services Staff School, and the Command and General Staff College.
A Master Army Aviator, he has logged over 4000 hours in over 50 different aircraft.
Forrester retired from the Army in October 2005.
NASA EXPERIENCE: Forrester was assigned to NASA at the Johnson Space Center as an aerospace engineer in July 1993. His technical assignments within the Astronaut Office Operations Development Branch have included: flight software testing with the Shuttle Avionics Integration Laboratory (SAIL); astronaut office representative for Landing/Rollout issues, Multi-function Electronic Display System (MEDS) upgrade of the Orbiter fleet, and the Portable In-flight Landing Operations Trainer (PILOT). He has also served as the crew representative for robotics development for the International Space Station.
Forrester was selected as a mission specialist astronaut candidate by NASA in May 1996. Having completed two years of training and evaluation, he is qualified for flight assignment as a mission specialist. Initially, Forrester was assigned to duties at the Kennedy Space Center as a member of the astronaut support team, responsible for Shuttle prelaunch vehicle checkout, crew ingress and strap-in, and crew egress after landing. He next served as the technical assistant to the Director, Flight Crew Operations. Following that, Forrester served as the Shuttle training and on-board crew procedures representative. He has also served as a CAPCOM for both ISS and shuttle missions. Forrester flew on STS-105 (2001). He has logged over 285 hours in space, including two spacewalks totaling 11 hours and 45 minutes of EVA time. Currently, he is assigned to the crew of STS-117.
SPACE FLIGHT EXPERIENCE: STS-105 Discovery (Aug 10-22, 2001) was the 11th mission to the International Space Station. While at the orbital outpost, the STS-105 crew delivered the Expedition-3 crew, attached the Leonardo Multi-Purpose Logistics Module (MPLM), and transferred over 2.7 metric tons of supplies and equipment to the station. During the mission, Pat Forrester and Dan Barry performed two spacewalks totaling 11 hours and 45 minutes of EVA time. Forrester served as the prime robotics operator to install the MPLM. STS-105 also brought home the Expedition-2 crew. The STS-105 mission was accomplished in 186 orbits of the Earth, traveling over 4.9 million miles in 285 hours and 13 minutes.
Steven R. Swanson
NASA Astronaut (Mission Specialist)
PERSONAL DATA: Born December 3, 1960 in Syracuse, New York, but considers Steamboat Springs, Colorado to be his hometown. Married to the former Mary Drake Young of Steamboat Springs, Colorado. They have three children. He enjoys mountain biking, basketball, skiing, weight lifting, running, woodworking and spending time with his family. His parents, Stanley and June Swanson, reside in Boise, Idaho. Her parents, Chan and Martha Young, reside in Steamboat Springs, Colorado.
EDUCATION: Graduated from Steamboat Springs High School in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, in 1979; received a bachelor of science degree in engineering physics from the University of Colorado in 1983, and a master of applied science in computer systems from Florida Atlantic University in 1986, and a doctorate in computer science from Texas A&M University in 1998.
SPECIAL HONORS: Recipient of the NASA Exceptional Achievement Medal, the JSC Certificate of Accommodation, Flight Simulation Engineering Award, and Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society
EXPERIENCE: Prior to coming to NASA, Steve worked for GTE in Phoenix, Arizona as a software engineer working on the real-time software of telephone system multiplexer/demultiplexers.
NASA EXPERIENCE: In 1987, Steve joined NASA as a systems engineer in the Aircraft Operations Division of JSC working on the Shuttle Training Aircraft. The Shuttle Training Aircraft (STA) is a complex airborne shuttle simulator, which models the flight characteristics of the Shuttle from 35,000 ft. to main gear touchdown. In 1989, Steve also became a flight simulation engineer on the STA. During his time with the STA, Steve worked on the improvement of the STA’s navigation and control systems and the incorporation of a real-time wind determination algorithm.
In May of 1998, Steve was selected as an Astronaut Candidate and started training in August of 1998. After completing Astronaut Candidate training, which includes intensive instruction in Shuttle and International Space Station systems, Steve was assigned to the Astronaut Office Space Station Operations Branch. Steve has also worked in the Astronaut Office Robotics Branch and is now currently assigned as a CAPCOM (spacecraft communicator). Steve has also completed the advance training for EVA, the Shuttle and ISS robotic arms, and Shuttle rendezvous. He is assigned to the crew of STS-117.
In The Images:
1.Astronaut Jim Reilly participates in the first spacewalk of STS-117 on Monday, June 11. Image credit: NASA
2.Patrick G. Forrester
3. Steven R. Swanson
4.Astronauts Jim Reilly (center frame) and John "Danny" Olivas (bottom center), both STS-117 mission specialists, participate in the mission's first planned session of extravehicular activity (EVA), as construction resumes on the International Space Station. Among other tasks, Reilly and Olivas connected power, data and cooling cables between S1 and S3; released the launch restraints from and deployed the four solar array blanket boxes on S4 and released the cinches and winches holding the photovoltaic radiator on S4.
5.Astronauts Jim Reilly (center frame) and John "Danny" Olivas (bottom right), both STS-117 mission specialists, participate in the mission's first planned session of extravehicular activity (EVA), as construction resumes on the International Space Station. Among other tasks, Reilly and Olivas connected power, data and cooling cables between S1 and S3; released the launch restraints from and deployed the four solar array blanket boxes on S4 and released the cinches and winches holding the photovoltaic radiator on S4.
6.Astronauts Jim Reilly (bottom) and John "Danny" Olivas (top right), both STS-117 mission specialists, participate in the mission's first planned session of extravehicular activity (EVA), as construction resumes on the International Space Station. Among other tasks, Reilly and Olivas connected power, data and cooling cables between S1 and S3; released the launch restraints from and deployed the four solar array blanket boxes on S4 and released the cinches and winches holding the photovoltaic radiator on S4.
7.--- Astronauts Jim Reilly (out of frame) and John "Danny" Olivas (partially obscured, center), both STS-117 mission specialists, participate in the mission's first planned session of extravehicular activity (EVA), as construction resumes on the International Space Station. Among other tasks, Reilly and Olivas connected power, data and cooling cables between S1 and S3; released the launch restraints from and deployed the four solar array blanket boxes on S4 and released the cinches and winches holding the photovoltaic radiator on S4. Earth's horizon and a crescent moon are visible at right
Important links-
To see Live-http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/nasatv/index.html
Release link: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/main/index.html
Tags: nasa , Astronauts , solar array , spacewalk , shuttle , orbital , Expedition , Space Shuttle Atlantis ,
