STS 131

Image above: NASA astronaut Clayton Anderson, STS-131 mission specialist, participates in the mission's first spacewalk as construction and maintenance continue on the International Space Station. Image credit: NASA_______
Mastracchio, Anderson Outside for Second Spacewalk

Spacewalkers Rick Mastracchio and Clayton Anderson began Sunday's spacewalk early at 1:30 a.m. EDT. The two are removing a spent ammonia tank from the station’s starboard, right-side, truss and replacing it with the new 1,700-pound, refrigerator-size tank they removed from Discovery’s payload bay on Friday. The ammonia is used for the station’s cooling system.

Anderson and Mastracchio started the second spacewalk at the spent ammonia tank to release it, move it and then store it until the final spacewalk on Tuesday. Next, the two will install two beams on the station’s port, left-side, truss to stow handles for use should a radiator need repairing before returning to the starboard side to install the new tank.

Mission Specialist Dorothy Metcalf-Lindenburger again will choreograph the spacewalk, serving as the intravehicular officer. Commander Alan G. Poindexter and Pilot James P. Dutton Jr. also will assist with the planned 6-1/2 hour spacewalk.

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Down the Home Stretch

The seven astronauts aboard space shuttle Discovery work and enjoy their planned last full day of the STS-131 mission. They're scheduled to land at the Kennedy Space Center's Shuttle Landing Facility Monday at 8:53 a.m. EDT

Il video ufficiale

"Welcome Back!" Discovery Lands Safely at Kennedy

Space shuttle Discovery and seven astronauts ended a two-week journey of more than 6.2 million miles with a Tuesday morning landing at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Returning to Earth aboard the orbiter were STS-131 Commander Alan Poindexter, Pilot Jim Dutton, and Mission Specialists Stephanie Wilson, Rick Mastracchio, Clay Anderson, Dottie Metcalf-Lindenburger and Naoko Yamazaki of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency. The STS-131 mission to the International Space Station included three spacewalks, the installation of equipment outside the ISS, and the transfer of thousands of pounds of cargo and supplies from the orbiter's payload bay to various locations on the station.

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Con questo termino la lunga cronaca della missione STS131