posted 03-16-2008 07:47 PM               

Garrett Reisman and Bob Behnken commanded each of the robot's arms to move slightly and then come to a rest to insure that their brakes were running normally.

All the joints passed the diagnostic maneuver, with one exception, the wrist pitch joint on arm no. 2, which exhibited minor brake slippage. The joint is rated to allow 10.3 degrees of movement when applying 20 volts. Instead, it registered 10.4.

posted 03-17-2008 12:17 AM               

Since it looks like I'll be doing a little "ahem" research for a certain book, I plan to look into whom this might be. Of course it could be a group of somebodies too.

posted 03-17-2008 05:05 PM               

From today's execute package (featuring green-color text for the first few pages):

Got the feeling that you're being followed? There may be something to that. ATV has been steadily chasing you around the globe and sometime today should be above the horizon off the station's nose (opposite the velocity vector) today. A free green beverage, of your choice from the galley, to the first to identify the bright star rising in the west. Happy Saint Patrick's Day.

posted 03-17-2008 05:55 PM               

STS-123 mission specialist Rick Linnehan, EV1, is wearing a spacesuit with solid red stripes. Bob Behnken, EV2, has no stripes on his extravehicular mobility unit.

"Happy St. Patrick's Day and have a good EVA," said IVA officer Mike Foreman to the two spacewalkers.

"I forgot it was St. Patrick's Day," answered Linnehan. "We should have worn our green EMUs."

Together, Linnehan and Behnken will outfit Dexte by:

• installing the ORU and tool platform/tool holder assembly;
  
• installing the Camera Light Pant Tilt Assembly (CLPA); and
  
• removing thermal covers.

"Go get 'em Bam Bam," said Rick Linnehan to Bob "Bam Bam" Behnken as the EVA began. "You have an appointment with Mr. Dextre from the CSA"

posted 03-17-2008 11:13 PM               

The suitcase-shaped package failed to seat in the socket, despite multiple attempts. Behnken reported seeing metal shavings that could be interfering with its installation. Unable to proceed, Behnken was told to return MISSE to where he retrieved it inside Endeavour's payload bay.

"Houston, sorry we couldn't get the MISSE on there," radioed Behnken.

"You couldn't have tried any harder," replied capcom Steve Robinson.

"You gave it your all Bob," added Linnehan.

"Herculean," Mike Foreman chimed in from inside Endeavour.

posted 03-18-2008 12:57 AM               

By comparison, 43 years ago today, the first ever spacewalk conducted by Russian cosmonaut Alexei Leonov, 12 minutes in duration aboard his Voskhod 2 capsule back on March 18, 1965.

This was the sixth spacewalk for mission specialist Rick Linnehan, who now has logged a career total of 42 hours and 23 minutes outside in space. Bob Behnken was performing his first EVA.

posted 03-18-2008 12:02 PM               

Its purpose now served, the shipping pallet used to launch and then configure a Canadian two- armed robot for the International Space Station (ISS) will be reinstalled into space shuttle Endeavour's payload bay on Tuesday, in preparation for returning it to Earth.

Modified to support the Canadian Space Agency's Special Purpose Dexterous Manipulator (SPDM), or Dextre robot, this Spacelab Logistics Pallet (SLP) was making its fourth and final flight to space, concluding a long history that can be traced back before the first shuttle left the launch pad.

The pallet is not the only item making the roundtrip from the Earth to the space station and back. Stowed on-board Endeavour's middeck is a collection of soon-to-be space artifacts, ranging from a few hundred mission patches to a celebrity's playbill title page.

posted 03-18-2008 04:57 PM               

"Dan Adamo has worked over 50 space shuttle missions in mission control. As a flight dynamics officer he has contributed hugely to our space program. I know he worked on the first rendezvous mission with Mir and also the first space shuttle missions. Having personally flown to Mir and ISS now a couple of times, I sure appreciate the work he has done on rendezvous strategies. I know our crew appreciates it, and the entire astronaut office is reliant on the work he has personally done to insure our rendezvous are safe and we have back-up to those. His retirement is going to put a hole in our FDO area. I'm sure we've got a bunch of folks that are so informed, but he's going to be surely missed when he retires. But congratulations on wonderful and just valuable career to NASA."

posted 03-20-2008 05:06 PM               

STS-123 mission specialist Bob Behnken, EV2, is wearing a spacesuit with no red stripes. Mike Foreman, EV3, has broken horizontal red stripes on his extravehicular mobility unit (EMU).

"So, are you ready for a good stroll today?" radioed IVA officer Rick Linnehan to both spacewalkers.

"We're ready," replied Behnken.

"Have fun storming the castle," added ISS flight engineer Garrett Reisman.

posted 03-20-2008 06:18 PM               

"We think at this point, if you guys concur, it is time to re-throw the bale, put the cap back on, and move on to greener pastures," said capcom Steve Robinson, referring to a dust cap that protects the outlet into which Foreman was trying to connect the stubborn cable.

"Sounds good Steve, sorry about that guys," replied Foreman.

posted 03-20-2008 07:16 PM               

"There's a lot of bubbling, like its baking almost," said Linnehan, watching Foreman's helmet cam video from inside Endeavour.

posted 03-20-2008 07:52 PM               

"Nice work Mike, you'll be our tile and grout specialist," said Linnehan.

"I hope we don't need one," replied Foreman.

"Good point," said Linnehan.

Ground tests of the STA-54 paste had shown a tendency for air bubbles to rise to the surface, which could then by tamped down.

The concern, which led to this test, was that in space the bubbles might remain embedded in the material, as happens with dough when making a loaf of bread.

posted 03-20-2008 08:28 PM               

"You hear that Mike? You're a brain surgeon," said Linnehan.

"I've never been called that before," Foreman admitted.

"Probably never will be again," Linnehan replied.

"Hey Mike, are you going to sign your name?" asked Robinson of Foreman, as he completed the test.

"I didn't see a good spot, Steve."

"I heard them, Houston, say sign your name in the samples, Mike," said Linnehan.

"How about a thumb print?" suggested Robinson.

posted 03-20-2008 10:41 PM               

STS-117 spacewalker Danny Olivas has taken over from Steve Robinson as a "guest" capcom to offer Behnken suggestions on how to best approach the cable connection.

While Behnken continues his work, Foreman is inspecting a docking port on Harmony for a lost pit pin. After that, he will proceed to the Quest airlock to clean up and get ready to go back inside.

posted 03-20-2008 11:01 PM               

Both spacewalkers are now back at the Quest airlock.

posted 03-20-2008 11:33 PM               

This was the second spacewalk for both astronauts. Bob Behnken now has a career total of 13 hours and 17 minutes outside in space. Mike Foreman has 13 hours, 32 minutes.

posted 03-20-2008 11:35 PM               

Welcome to the first full day of spring. We know that there are one or two of you Navy folks on board so if you are performing any arcane seafaring rituals, associated with crossing the equator at the equinox, featuring shellbacks and polliwogs, we'd prefer not to hear about it. What happens on orbit stays on orbit.

posted 03-21-2008 07:34 AM               

quote:

---

...featuring shellbacks and polliwogs

---

posted 03-22-2008 01:34 AM               

quote:

---

The crew started its day at 12:28 p.m., with the song "Enter Sandman" performed by Metallica. The song was played for Mission Specialist Robert L. Behnken.

---

It happened to me once a long, long time ago: hard rock music in the morning just gave me a headache, a cranky mood and a tempting desire to kill the idiot who woke us up with such music...

posted 03-22-2008 04:26 AM               

quote:

---

Behnken and his crewmates were awakened today by a recording of Metallica's "Enter Sandman" radioed up from mission control.

"Good morning Endeavour. And good morning to you, Dr. Bob," astronaut Al Drew called from Houston.

"Good morning, Alvin. I hope everything's going great down there," Behnken replied. "Thanks for that great wakeup music and I'd like to thank my fiance for choosing that for me. I just want to tell her I miss her and I can't wait to get back and see her here in a couple of days."

"Thanks for the good words, Bob. The music has got us awake down here, I'm sure that shook you out of bed as well."

"It did, Al. Thanks!"

---

posted 03-22-2008 03:47 PM               

Bob Behnken, EV2, is wearing a spacesuit with no red stripes. Mike Foreman, EV3, has broken horizontal red stripes on his EMU.

Together, they will attach the orbiter's inspection boom (OBSS) to the space station's truss, temporarily stowing it there for use by the next mission. STS-124, which is scheduled to launch in late May with the Kibo pressurized module, the largest of all the station's laboratories, will not have room in Discovery's payload bay to carry the OBSS to orbit.

posted 03-22-2008 04:24 PM               

When in the payload bay, on the orbiter arm, or on the station arm, the boom's heaters protect it from being damaged by the extreme temperatures of the space environment.

To attach the boom, the spacewalkers needed to first configure a "keep alive" cable that will feed it power from the station. Once ready for the hand off from the station arm, Foreman and Behnken will have only 30 minutes to attach the OBSS before it's subject to being damaged.

posted 03-22-2008 04:55 PM               

Reaching up, Foreman successfully attached the "keep alive" umbilical to the orbiter's boom.

posted 03-22-2008 05:20 PM               

"It's going to remember you!" replied Behnken.

posted 03-22-2008 05:36 PM               

"If you guys will humor me, I have a quote that I think is appropriate that I would like to play," announced Rick Linnehan from inside Endeavour.

"Go ahead, Rick!" approved Foreman.

A few moments later, an audio recording played from "Gladiator" actor Russell Crowe proclaiming, "What we do in life, echoes into eternity!"