US: Spacewalk still on despite approaching space junk
Fri Sep 4 04:57:50 EST 2009
Thu Sep 3 18:57:50 UTC 2009
CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida, Sept 3 Agencies - A large piece of space debris drifted toward the International Space Station on Thursday, but NASA said it would not affect the second of three spacewalks outside the orbiter.
Part of an old European rocket is expected to pass within three kilometres of space shuttle Discovery and the international space station on Friday.
NASA Flight Director Office chief John McCullough said it did not appear that the ISS would have to manoeuvre to avoid the space junk.
A final decision would be made during the last hour of Thursday's spacewalk, NASA said, but Mission Control was developing a contingency plan to potentially "reboost" the station-shuttle complex that currently holds 13 astronauts.
The linked spacecraft are currently orbiting 354 kilometres above the Earth.
The debris, the remains of the three-year-old Ariane 5 rocket, is believed to have a surface area of about 19 square metres.
During the second spacewalk of the mission, astronauts Danny Olivas and Christer Fuglesang will install a new ammonia tank outside the space station.
Olivas and Fuglesang were camping out in the Quest airlock on Thursday in order to acclimate their bodies for their outing in space at 2119 GMT on Thursday (0719 AEST Friday).
