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After carefully unbolting the broken gyroscope from a space station truss, Mastracchio and Williams slowly swung the 600-pound piece of equipment onto a temporary storage platform. Astronaut Tracy Caldwell helped guide them from inside the station.
After installing the new gyroscope, the astronauts planned to move the malfunctioning one to a spot where it will be stored until another shuttle can bring it back to Earth.
Astronauts plan to conduct two more spacewalks on Wednesday and Friday, and they could add the gouge repairs to their to-do list. Depending on the extent of the damage, astronauts can apply protective paint, screw on a shielding panel, or squirt in filler goo.
The damaged thermal tiles are located near the right main landing gear door. In a stroke of luck, they're right beneath the aluminum framework for the right wing, which would offer extra protection during the ride back to Earth.
The foam came off a bracket on the external fuel tank 58 seconds after Wednesday's launch. It fell down onto a strut on the tank, then bounced up, right into Endeavour's belly. Ice apparently formed before liftoff near the bracket, which helps hold the long fuel feed line to the tank, and caused the foam to pop off when subjected to the vibrations of launch.
It's possible some ice was attached to the foam, which would have made the impact even harder. The debris that came off is believed to have been grapefruit-sized.
These brackets have lost foam in previous launches, a concern for NASA, Shannon said. A switch to titanium brackets, eliminating foam, will not occur before next year.
Shannon said he did not know whether the recurring foam problem would delay the next shuttle flight, currently scheduled for October.
Endeavour has been docked at the space station since Friday. It will remain there until Aug. 20 for a record 10-day stay. Mission managers on Sunday approved the prolonged visit based on the successful testing of a new power transfer system flying on Endeavour. The system is drawing power from the station and converting it for use aboard the shuttle.
The two Russian cosmonauts aboard the space station lost radio communication with the Moscow mission control center overnight when a line apparently was damaged by a nearby construction project, station flight director Heather Rarick said.
Debra L. Wabnik
After installing the new gyroscope, the astronauts planned to move the malfunctioning one to a spot where it will be stored until another shuttle can bring it back to Earth.
Astronauts plan to conduct two more spacewalks on Wednesday and Friday, and they could add the gouge repairs to their to-do list. Depending on the extent of the damage, astronauts can apply protective paint, screw on a shielding panel, or squirt in filler goo.
The damaged thermal tiles are located near the right main landing gear door. In a stroke of luck, they're right beneath the aluminum framework for the right wing, which would offer extra protection during the ride back to Earth.
The foam came off a bracket on the external fuel tank 58 seconds after Wednesday's launch. It fell down onto a strut on the tank, then bounced up, right into Endeavour's belly. Ice apparently formed before liftoff near the bracket, which helps hold the long fuel feed line to the tank, and caused the foam to pop off when subjected to the vibrations of launch.
It's possible some ice was attached to the foam, which would have made the impact even harder. The debris that came off is believed to have been grapefruit-sized.
These brackets have lost foam in previous launches, a concern for NASA, Shannon said. A switch to titanium brackets, eliminating foam, will not occur before next year.
Shannon said he did not know whether the recurring foam problem would delay the next shuttle flight, currently scheduled for October.
Endeavour has been docked at the space station since Friday. It will remain there until Aug. 20 for a record 10-day stay. Mission managers on Sunday approved the prolonged visit based on the successful testing of a new power transfer system flying on Endeavour. The system is drawing power from the station and converting it for use aboard the shuttle.
The two Russian cosmonauts aboard the space station lost radio communication with the Moscow mission control center overnight when a line apparently was damaged by a nearby construction project, station flight director Heather Rarick said.
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