Astronauts complete successful spacewalk

0 Comments | AFP, February, 2008

WASHINGTON (AFP) — Two spacewalking astronauts, including a German who fell ill at the start of the shuttle Atlantis mission, successfully replaced a nitrogen tank on the orbiting International Space Station on Wednesday, NASA said.

After spending the night in a decompression chamber on the ISS, the two astronauts, American Rex Walheim and his German colleague Hans Schlegel, walked out into space at 1427 GMT for a six hour and 45 minute mission.

Schlegel was unable to take part in the first spacewalk when he fell ill on Saturday just as Atlantis docked with the space station. His illness had delayed the first spacewalk by 24 hours until Monday.

The Atlantis team is helping to install a European laboratory, called Columbus, which they brought with them from...