Wednesday, March 19, 2008

Dextre assembled, STS 123 & Expedition 16 enjoy R&R and prepare for fourth spacewalk Thursday evening.

Rick Linnehan works to complete Dextre's 'hands'
finishing seven-hour third STS-123 spacewalk
NASA
In a day highlighted by robotics activity, the Canadian-built Dextre was attached to a power and data grapple fixture located on the U.S. laboratory Destiny. The new robotic system is the final element of the International Space Station’s Mobile Servicing System. Mission Specialists Rick Linnehan and Mike Foreman have finished assembling Dextre.

Canadarm2, the International Space Station’s robot arm, grabbed the pallet that secured Dextre during its journey to the orbital outpost and returned the pallet to space shuttle Endeavour’s payload bay for the trip back to Earth.

The station and shuttle crews also prepared hardware to be used in a shuttle tile repair test on the next spacewalk, and they got some much needed off duty time.

Foreman and Mission Specialist Robert Behnken are slated to begin the mission’s fourth spacewalk at 6:28 p.m. Thursday. The two will perform tasks that include the shuttle tile repair test and change out of a circuit breaker on the station.

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