SUBMITTED BY ARTHUR N1ORC - AMSAT A/C #31468

*STS-118 Crew Attaches New Truss to Station; Spacewalk Continues*

Image above: Mission Specialist Rick Mastracchio participates in the first spacewalk of the STS-118 mission. Image: NASA TV

TO VIEW IMAGE GO TO:http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/main/index.html

The STS-118 crew continued the on-orbit construction of the International Space Station with the addition of the Starboard 5 (S5) truss segment. With spacewalkers Rick Mastracchio and Dave Williams assisting, Pilot Charles Hobaugh used the station’s robotic arm to attach the S5 about 1:35 p.m. EDT.

The spacewalkers are now focusing on the completion of the installation by bolting the S5 in place on the end of the Starboard 4 truss segment and making power and data connections.

The next major task of the spacewalk is the retraction of a radiator on the Port 6 (P6) truss. After the radiator is folded, Mastracchio and Williams will secure it. The P6 will be relocated from atop the station to the end of the Port 5 truss during a future shuttle mission.

Mastracchio and Williams kicked off STS-118’s first spacewalk at 12:28 p.m. EDT and are scheduled to wrap up at about 6:58 p.m. STS-118 Mission Specialist Tracy Caldwell is the spacewalk coordinator, and Expedition 15 Flight Engineer Clay Anderson is assisting Hobaugh at the controls of the station’s Canadian-built robotic arm.

The Station-to-Shuttle Power Transfer System, which was activated after Friday’s docking, has been shut down as a precaution during the spacewalk. It will be brought back online after the conclusion of the excursion. The transfer system may allow Space Shuttle Endeavour and the STS-118 crew to stay at the station longer. A decision on a possible mission extension to 14 days is expected to be made Sunday.

Animations: + S5 Truss Overview javascript:watchNASAOnDemandTV('http://mfile.akamai.com/18566/wmv/etouchsyst2.download.akamai.com/18355/wm.nasa-global/STS-118/S5_OV.asx') | + S5 Truss Installation javascript:watchNASAOnDemandTV('http://mfile.akamai.com/18566/wmv/etouchsyst2.download.akamai.com/18355/wm.nasa-global/STS-118/S5_Install.asx')