Two NASA astronauts have floated for five and a half hours outside the International Space Station, successfully completing the first steps to fix the outpost’s cooling system.
Saturday’s spacewalk was the first for NASA since July. The operation was prompted by the December the 11th shutdown of one of the station’s ammonia cooling systems. The dysfunction had forced the crew to turn off non-essential equipment and shut down dozens of science experiments.
The repair work is said to have gone smoothly. The two American astronauts, Rick Mastracchio and Mike Hopkins, finished their task an hour earlier than expected. They were able to not only disconnect the old pump, but also remove it from its pallet on the station’s exterior, a task originally slated for a second spacewalk on Monday. A third spacewalk, if needed, is scheduled for Wednesday.