Discovery astronauts start second spacewalk (AFP)
16.12.2006 05:41 Space - Source: Yahoo space
Mission specialist Robert Curbeam and Christer Fuglesang, Sweeden's first astronaut, stepped outside the ISS at 1941 GMT, about 20 minutes ahead of time, the US space agency said.
During the next six hours, the pair is due to start rewiring the ISS to adapt it to a new solar array that will double its power output.
The delicate, and potentially risky work involves shutting off the electricity to half the space station to prevent the astronauts from getting electrocuted.
However, the ISS will still be fully powered as the electricity from the functioning side will be rerouted to the other, inactive, half.
A third spacewalk is scheduled for Saturday, when Curbeam and mission specialist Sunita Williams will finish the work begun Thursday and install a camera on the ISS to facilitate future construction work on the space station.
The Discovery mission blasted off from Cape Canaveral, Florida, on December 9 and is scheduled to return on December 21.
The mission is part of NASA's plan for 14 shuttle missions to finish building the ISS by 2010, when the shuttle fleet is also expected to be retired.
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