CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — Astronauts successfully unfurled the newly installed solar wings at the international space station today, a nerve-racking procedure that went exceedingly well.
To NASA’s relief, both wings went out smoothly, one at a time. Nothing hung up, and none of the panels stuck together.
The wings stretched more than 240 feet, a glistening golden hue in the sunlight and a dazzling sight for the astronauts and others involved.
The work was a highlight of shuttle Discovery’s mission. Completed 220 miles above Earth, the new panels are the final pair of electricity-generating wings and should boost the amount of science research at the orbiting outpost.
“Great work, guys,” Mission Control told the astronauts. “We’ve got a whole bunch of happy people down here,”
The 10 astronauts were urged to celebrate.
The long, deliberate procedure began the morning after this last set of solar wings was hooked up to the orbiting complex.
Right on cue — “ready, ready, mark” — astronaut John Phillips pushed the button that commanded the first wing to start unfurling. It slowly stretched out like a folded-up map. Five minutes later, when the 115-foot wing was about halfway open, he stopped the motion.
NASA wanted to avoid any snagging or sticking on the delicate solar panels. As a result, the astronauts were ordered to wait nearly an hour before continuing, so the partially opened wing could soak up sunlight and be less likely to jam.
The second wing, which had been boxed up for years, opened just as easily. A slight crinkle was spotted near the bottom when the wing was halfway out, but it flattened when the wing was stretched out all the way.
Most if not all of the astronauts watched the wings unfold, peering out windows and through camera lenses, ready to hit the “abort” button in case of trouble.
Flight controllers as well as managers anxiously monitored everything, given all the problems in the past. The last time a solar wing was unfurled in 2007, it caught on a guide wire and ripped. Emergency spacewalking repairs were needed to fix it.
After 10 years of assembly, the space station now has eight full wings. Altogether, the wings will be capable of generating enough electrical power for about 42 large houses, according to NASA.
Before the unfurling began, Mission Control had the astronauts move the linked station and shuttle into a position to keep as much sunlight as possible on the unfolding wings. That kicked off a countdown of sorts; the spacecraft could remain in that position for no more than five hours, otherwise some parts of the station could get too hot or too cold and malfunction.
The astronauts beat that time by nearly three hours.
On Thursday, a pair of spacewalking astronauts hooked up the $300 million framework that holds the wings. This last major American-made addition increased the mass of the space station to 670,000 pounds; it is now 81 percent complete. Construction is scheduled to wrap up next year with the retirement of NASA’s shuttles.
Discovery is due to leave the space station Wednesday. Its landing, though, may be moved up a day to preserve science samples being returned from the station. Right now, touchdown is scheduled for March 28.
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