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Nov 21, 2009 11:00 am US/Central
Atlantis Astronauts Step Out On 2nd Spacewalk
Crew From Shuttle Atlantis To Do More Work At International Space Station
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) ―
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Astronauts from the Atlantis shuttle are seen Nov. 19, 2009, on a spacewalk at the International Space Station.
AP
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Space Shuttle Atlantis STS-129 blasts off from the launch pad at Kennedy Space Center Nov. 16, 2009 in Cape Canaveral, Fla.
Joe Raedle/Getty Images
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Atlantis crew for STS-129 mission, (l-r): Leland Melvin, mission specialist; Butch Willmore, pilot; Charles Hobaugh, commander; and Randy Bresnik, mission specialist; Mike Foreman, mission specialist; and Robert Satcher, mission specialist.
AP
A spacewalking astronaut put aside the impending birth of his daughter and concentrated instead on his first-ever venture outside the International Space Station on Saturday.
Atlantis crewman Randolph Bresnik was mightily impressed as he installed a pair of antennas.
"Other than seeing my wife for the first time, I don't think I've ever seen a more beautiful face," Bresnik said, gazing down at Earth 220 miles below. "This is amazing."
Bresnik's wife, Rebecca, was back home in Houston, due to give birth to their second child at any moment. They also have a 3-year-old son, adopted from Ukraine.
The delivery had been planned for Friday, but the baby had yet to arrive when the second spacewalk of the weeklong mission started Saturday morning. The astronauts agreed with Mission Control to hold off on any news if the birth occurred during the spacewalk.
Everyone wanted Bresnik, a 42-year-old Marine, focused on the spacewalk because of the extra risk posed by working outside.
Bresnik and his veteran spacewalking partner, Michael Foreman, got off to a late but fast start, bolting down antenna equipment and relocating a monitor for electrical hazards. They were an hour ahead at one point.
The spacewalk was delayed more than an hour by false decompression alarms that rang through the orbiting complex late Friday, for the second night in a row. The high-pitched beeps — emanating from a new Russian research chamber — triggered a series of smoke alarms. The racket woke up the astronauts and disrupted spacewalk preparations.
Right before the spacewalk, the combined crews attached a giant platform full of spare parts to the exterior of the space station, using robot arms. It was the second such shelf to be installed this week. Atlantis hauled up nearly 15 tons of equipment to keep the outpost running long after the shuttles' retirement next year.
One more spacewalk is planned on Monday. The shuttle will remain at the station until the day before Thanksgiving. Landing would be the day after.
(© 2010 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
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