2 Astronauts Step Out for Their First Walk in Space
Two spacewalking astronauts stepped outside the shuttle Endeavour early today to practice orbital construction techniques 200 miles above Earth.
“Oh, it’s quite a view,” said spacewalker Leroy Chiao.
Chiao and Daniel Barry couldn’t wait to venture out into the open cargo bay. They hadn’t performed a spacewalk before. Neither has Winston Scott, who will accompany Chiao on a spacewalk Wednesday. NASA needs experienced spacewalkers to help assemble an international space station in a few years.
The three men are trying out new construction tools and connectors as well as modified suits designed to keep them warm.
Before they could turn their attention to today’s 6 1/2-hour spacewalk, the six crew members had to release a NASA science satellite for two days of free flight in orbit.
Japanese astronaut Koichi Wakata freed the satellite as Endeavour zoomed over the Atlantic on Sunday. He used the shuttle robot arm Saturday to retrieve a science satellite launched last year by Japan.
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