Today, the crew focused on the addition of the Russian Mini-Research Module-1 (MRM-1) to the International Space Station. The module, named Rassvet, Russian for "dawn," docked to the Earth-facing port on the Zarya module at 8:20 a.m. EDT.
Shuttle Commander Ken Ham and Pilot Tony Antonelli maneuvered the shuttle robotic arm to unberth the module from Atlantis' payload bay and positioned it for handoff to the station robotic arm. Mission Specialists Garrett Reisman and Piers Sellers were at the station arm controls to maneuver MRM-1 to its new position on the Russian segment.
Expedition 23 Commander Oleg Kotov monitored the activities from the Russian segment as the MRM-1 engaged into its automated docking sequence for the final attachment to the station.
Mission Specialists Michael Good and Steve Bowen are preparing for the mission's next spacewalk. They are preparing the suits and gathering tools needed for their extravehicular excursion on Wednesday.
Crew Bedtime, Spacewalk Shift Earlier
A new task added to Wednesday's spacewalk sent the shuttle crew to bed 30 minutes early on Tuesday. The second spacewalk will also start earlier at 7:15 a.m. EDT.
Spacewalkers Michael Good and Steve Bowen will relieve a snagged cable that is preventing full use of the laser imager and video camera. The equipment is located on the Orbiter Boom Sensor System.
Good and Bowen are "camping out" in the Quest airlock overnight at a reduced air pressure to purge nitrogen from their circulatory systems. This reduces the likelihood of developing the bends during spacewalk activities.
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