ASTROS OUT ON A LIMB

Spacewalking astronauts worked at giving the International Space Station’s big robot arm a new hand Thursday. Commander Randy Bresnik and Mark Vande Hei (above) tackled the job on the first of three NASA spacewalks planned over the next two weeks. The latching mechanism on one end of the 58-foot robot arm malfunctioned in August. The bundle of latches is used to grab visiting spacecraft, and provides power and data. It also attaches to grapple fixtures outside the space station, allowing the arm to move like an inchworm across the sprawling structure. The Canadian-built arm has been in orbit for 16 years.