Spacewalkers test new shuttle repair techniques

0 Comments | AFP, March, 2008

WASHINGTON (AFP) — Two astronauts returned from the void Friday after a spacewalk to test new repair techniques for the space shuttle's heat shield, crucial for a new mission to the orbiting Hubble Space Telescope.

Astronauts Robert Behnken and Mike Foreman, who arrived at the International Space Station (ISS) aboard the shuttle Endeavour last week, spent six hours and 24 minutes outside the ISS working on a to-do list that also included replacing a failed circuit breaker-like unit and other maintenance work, NASA officials said.

In testing the heat-shield repair method, the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration sought to make sure astronauts can fix any potential damage during the Hubble mission on August 28, when the shuttle will be moored too far from...