Space pair give helping hand

CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida — Spacewalking astronauts gave a hand to the International Space Station’s big robot arm on Tuesday.

As the federal government geared back up 560 kilometers below, NASA astronauts Mark Vande Hei and Scott Tingle successfully installed the new mechanical gripper.

Because of the lingering effects of the government shutdown, the spacewalk got started in the morning without coverage on NASA TV. An on-air message simply stated: “We regret the inconvenience.”

Nearly an hour into the spacewalk, however, NASA TV came alive and began broadcasting the event with typical blow-by-blow commentary.

Space station operations were largely unaffected by the three-day shutdown. Considered essential personnel, Mission Control kept watch as usual at Johnson Space Center in Houston.

Vande Hei performed a similar spacewalk in October when he replaced the first of two original hands on the Canadian-built arm. This second new hand will go on the opposite end of the 17.7-meter arm, able to move like an inchworm by grabbing hold of special fixtures.

The bulky bundle of latches more than 1 meter long and weighing more than 200 kilograms needed to be replaced because of wear and tear. It’s been in orbit, grabbing cargo capsules and performing other chores, since 2001.

Tingle had to use extra muscle to release a stubborn bolt securing the spare mechanical arm.

“Nice work,” Vande Hei said. “And the crowd goes wild,” chimed in Mission Control.

Next, the spacewalkers wrested the old hand from the robot arm. Once the new hand was in place, a software issue cropped up briefly. Six hours into the spacewalk, NASA declared victory. The spacewalk lasted 7.5 hours.

It was the first spacewalk for Tingle, who arrived last month, and the third for Vande Hei.

“Make us proud out there,” astronaut Joe Acaba said from inside. “We’ll have hot chow for you when you get back.”

The space station is home to three US citizens, two Russians and one Japanese.