Ill astronaut pulled from lab mission
Space shuttle Atlantis and its astronauts delivered a new lab to the International Space Station but had to delay installing it by a day because of a crew member’s medical problem.
One of the two spacewalking astronauts who was to help install the $2-billion European science lab, Columbus, was pulled from the job because of a non-life-threatening condition.
The installation won’t take place until Monday.
NASA officials at Cape Canaveral would not say why German astronaut Hans Schlegel was being replaced, but Atlantis’ commander, Stephen N. Frick, requested a private medical conference with flight surgeons shortly after reaching the space station.
“I will just say it’s not going to impact any of the objectives of this mission,” said John Shannon, chairman of the mission management team. “It will cause us to rearrange a few activities.”
Shannon did not elaborate, citing medical privacy.
Schlegel’s American crew mate, Stanley Love, will take his place on the spacewalk.
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