Fourth Spacewalk Needed

 European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut Christer Fuglesang, STS-116 mission specialist, participates in the mission's second of three planned sessions of extravehicular activity (EVA) as construction resumes on the International Space Station. Astronaut Robert L. Curbeam, Jr. (out of frame), mission specialist, also participated in the spacewalk. The station's Canadarm2 end effector is at left.

Astronauts finished rewiring the International Space Station but were not able to completely free a stuck solar panel. A fourth spacewalk will be needed.

The STS-116 crew completed the rewiring of the International Space Station’s power system during the mission’s third spacewalk. Astronauts Robert Curbeam and Sunita Williams also relocated debris shield panels, attached a grapple fixture and performed a test on the partially retracted solar array before concluding the excursion at 9:56 p.m. EST.

Curbeam and Williams rerouted power through station electrical channels 1 and 4. Curbeam and STS-116 Mission Specialist Christer Fuglesang rerouted power through channels 2 and 3 during the mission’s second spacewalk Thursday. The electrical work puts the station’s power system in a permanent setup and sets the stage for the addition of more solar arrays.

In order for the duo to perform the electrical work, flight controllers powered down station systems prior to the start of the spacewalk. They began repowering those systems at 4:18 p.m.

Curbeam and Williams then installed a robotic arm grapple fixture and relocated debris shield panels from the station’s interior to a storage point outside. The panels are designed to increase the protection of the station's living quarters module and will be installed during a later spacewalk by the station crew.

With time remaining, flight controllers elected to have the duo conduct a test on the P6 solar array that has not retracted properly. The spacewalkers shook the box into which the array is folding to ease tension in apparently misaligned guide wires. There were additional attempts to retract the array.

High resolution photographs are available over at the NASA website.