Ready for Repairs

International Space Station – November 2, 2007 – The space shuttle Discovery International Space Station crews focused today on reviewing spacewalk procedures and preparing the shuttle’s Orbiter Boom Sensor System (OBSS) for Saturday’s spacewalk to repair a torn solar array. Mission managers decided Wednesday it was important that the station’s P6 4B solar array be stabilized to prevent further tearing. Engineers have been working around the clock to prepare procedures for the robotic operations, tool configuration and the spacewalk. During the early hours on Saturday, ground controllers will move the station’s mobile transporter from the end of the port truss to the truss’ center. From there, Mission Specialist Stephanie Wilson and Expedition 16 Flight Engineer Dan Tani will then use the station’s robotic arm to grapple the Orbiter Boom Sensor System. The boom will be handed to the shuttle robotic arm for the night and the mobile transporter will then return to the end of the port truss. On Saturday, the boom will be transferred back to the station’s arm to allow Mission Specialist Scott Parazynski to reach the torn 4B solar array panel. Parazynski will install five solar array hinge stabilizers, also known as cufflinks, to steady the array. Doug Wheelock will assist from the station’s truss. See the NASA animation of the repair. The STS-120 crew has completed all of the major objectives for this mission, including installing Harmony in a temporary location at the end of the Unity node, relocating the P6 truss from the zenith side of the station to the end of the port truss, and installing a spare main bus switching unit on a storage platform for later use.		STS-120 Pilot George Zamka holds a "cufflink" apparatus in the Harmony node of the International Space Station, which will be attached to the damaged solar arrays and take the structural load off of the broken hinge during Saturday's spacewalk. Image credit: NASA NASA animation showing the locations of the repairs scheduled for Saturday’s spacewalk.
		More Information
		A Space First STS-120 Launches on Schedule STS-120 Mission Report October 24 Discovery Docks at Station STS-120 Mission Update October 26 Harmony Open for Business Station Construction Continues STS-120 Mission Update October 29 Solar Array Damaged STS-120 Mission Changes

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