Astronauts’ Railroad Project Right on Track
Two spacewalking astronauts successfully rewired the international space station to extend the reach of its robot arm--via a railroad.
It was the third spacewalk by the visiting crew of space shuttle Atlantis, with a fourth and final excursion planned Tuesday to finish installing a 44-foot girder equipped with a rail car and track.
By rerouting power, data and video cables, the spacewalkers paved the way for the station’s 58-foot robot arm, designed to move like an inchworm, to step onto the rail car and be transported from one part of the outpost to another.
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