Loan Adviser

Astronauts complete laboratory in Japanese Space Station

Cape Canaveral, USA (Reuters) – Two astronauts on Monday put the finishing touches on a Japanese research laboratory on the International Space Station during fifth and last exit before the shuttle Endeavor launch its way back.

Floating 360 miles from Earth, Chris Cassidy and Tom Marshburn television cameras installed on the new platform for experiments in Japan, completing the Kibo complex of 2,400 million dollars.

We are quite impressed with it, said astronaut David Wolf to his fellow crew while returning to the air after a five-hour space walk. You have made an extraordinary effort.

The astronauts also renewed a wiring system and the station and managed a thermal cover a Canadian robot.

ferry depart from the space station on Tuesday. During the 11-day visit, the astronauts of the Kibo Endeavor upgraded with a platform for telescopes and other scientific experiments to be carried out in the open.

He also replaced the battery power system solar and delivered spare parts needed to keep the station operational before the withdrawal of the ferry fleet next year.

One of the astronauts, Tim Kopra, will remain on the station to replace Japanese Koichi Wakata, who has been in orbit for four months and a half.

Wakata said on Sunday it wanted to take a hot bath, eating cold noodles and some sushi once he returned to Earth.

also reported that his specially designed space suit, called J-ware, worked as expected.

The clothes are designed odorless to kill bacteria, absorb water and dries quickly.

For two months I used the pants and no smell and nobody complained, said Wakata, speaking through an interpreter. I think the new J-ware clothing is very good for me and my colleagues.

NASA has seven other construction and supply missions planned to complete the orbital position, a draft among 16 nations with a value of 100,000 million dollars.

The next shuttle launch is scheduled for late August, awaiting the outcome of investigations on why the tank Endeavor fuel spilled a large amount of foam during takeoff of July 15.

Apparently the impact of the foam was slight, but raised serious questions for future flights.

NASA performed a series of analysis and inspection of loose fragments from the loss of shuttle Columbia and its crew in 2003 by an accident around the world caused by the impact of foam shed from the tank fuel during takeoff.

The crew of the Endeavor is scheduled to complete its mission of 16 days with a landing in Florida on Friday.

(Published in Javier Leira Spanish)