After Successful Spacewalk, Shuttle’s Heat Shield Cleared for Landing

The next spacewalk is scheduled to take place Tuesday.

Discovery Flight Engineer Daniel Tani (bottom), Mission Specialists Stephanie Wilson and Doug Wheelock (second left), Expedition 16 Flight Engineer Yuri Malenchenko and Pilot George Zamka take a moment for a photo on the middeck of Space Shuttle Discovery while docked with the International Space Station. Image credit: NASA

(HOUSTON) - Discovery Mission Specialist Scott Parazynski and Expedition 16 Flight Engineer Daniel Tani successfully completed the second spacewalk of the STS-120 mission at 12:05 PM EDT Sunday.

Parazynski and Tani completed preparations for the relocation of the P6 truss segment early in the spacewalk. Mission Specialists Stephanie Wilson and Doug Wheelock used the station robotic arm to remove the P6.

They placed the solar array section in a temporary holding position for Sunday night before they hand it off to the shuttle's robotic arm Monday morning.

Tani performed a couple of inspections requested by mission managers. He photographed the handrail on the Crew and Equipment Translation Aid cart, but he did not note any apparent sharp edges.

While inspecting a rotary joint used to rotate solar arrays he noticed metal shavings and unusual wear on a race ring. The joint has been showing some increased friction lately, and engineers are analyzing potential causes.

The next spacewalk is scheduled to take place Tuesday. Parazynski and Wheelock will team up to assist with robotic arm attachment of the P6 truss in its new location on P5.

During a post-Mission Management Team interview, mission managers announced that Discovery's thermal protection system, or heat shield, is cleared for landing.
Source: NASA

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