Astronauts Fix Jammed Antenna on Third Spacewalk

Astronauts Jerry Ross and James Newman installed a toolbox and fixed a jammed antenna on the international space station Saturday during their third and final spacewalk into Endeavour’s open cargo bay.

All that remains of the mission today is an afternoon release of the seven-story, 35-ton complex, freshly wired and outfitted by the visiting shuttle crew.

Working nearly 250 miles above Earth, Ross and Newman lugged out a 2-by-2-foot bundle containing 50 wrenches, ratchets, clamps, bars, foot loops, tethers and other tools. They attached the package to the top of Unity, the American-made side of the station.

The toolbox looked like a picnic cooler.”I’m hungry. What’s in the refrigerator?” joked Newman.

“Nothing edible,” Ross replied.

The tools will be used by future spacewalkers. The next construction team goes up in May.

Ross turned his attention to the stuck Russian antenna after completing a check of the cables he and Newman installed earlier in the week and disconnecting other cables no longer needed.

Armed with a 10-foot pole, Ross was hoisted on the end of the shuttle robot arm up to Zarya, the Russian-built control module stacked atop Unity. He kept his distance as he poked the antenna, the same method that Newman used to fix another jammed antenna during spacewalk No. 2 on Wednesday.

Ross tapped the stuck antenna, then jiggled it, then tapped it again and again. After several minutes and dozens of pokes, the antenna finally shot out to its full 4 feet.

The two roll-out antennas had failed to open properly after last month’s launch of Zarya.

The spacewalkers had one last handrail to install, then were to conduct a photo survey of the space station. Their last task was to test their mini-jetpacks; they were to remain tethered to the shuttle for added safety. Saturday’s spacewalk was the seventh of Ross’ career, a U.S. record, and the fourth for Newman.

Endeavour will leave the space station Sunday but not return to Earth until Tuesday.

NASA estimates that 159 more spacewalks will be needed over the next five years to build and maintain the space station, which will stretch as long as a football field. Most of the spacewalks will be conducted by U.S. crews.

Endeavour’s six-astronaut crew woke up to Elvis Presley’s “Hound Dog” Saturday. Mission controllers played the rock ‘n’ roll classic to honor the crew’s decision to dub themselves the “Dog Crew” before the shuttle’s Dec. 4 launch. “These dogs are ready to go,” Ross said.

A NASA spokesman said the Dog Crew name is linked to shuttle commander Robert Cabana and had been used on previous missions by the Marine Corps colonel, but the spokesman was unaware of the term’s origin.