Tough work awaits 240 miles up

December 7, 1998
by Paul Hoversten

HOUSTON -- Astronauts Jerry Ross and Jim Newman become the ultimate high-steel construction workers today as they begin the tough task of outfitting the International Space Station 240 miles above Earth.

"The first (spacewalk) is by far the most critical one," says Ross, 50, NASA's most experienced spacewalker. "It's the one that is required to hook together the elements of the station . . . and to permit us to start activating the U.S. parts."

Ross and Newman, 42, are to venture outside space shuttle Endeavour at 5:31 p.m. ET today for the first of three six-hour spacewalks during the 12-day mission.

They'll hook up by hand 40 electrical and data cables to siphon power from the Russian-built Zarya module -- a space "tug" -- into the U.S.-built connecting tunnel, called Unity.

Zarya provides the power, propulsion and early communications for the station. Unity, with its six docking ports, is the hub to which all future U.S. pieces of the 100-piece station will be attached.

The two pieces -- the cornerstones of the 460-ton station that when finished in 2004 will span the size of two football fields -- were linked together Sunday night. Sixteen nations, led by the United States, are partners in the $ 50 billion project.

Newman: Crew member has been training for 2.5 years.

Ross: NASA's most experienced spacewalker

Astronaut Nancy Currie had brought Zarya inches from Unity, which she earlier had placed upright in Endeavour's cargo bay. Then Endeavour commander Bob Cabana fired the shuttle's rockets to push the shuttle and Unity upward to dock with Zarya.

Spacewalking is tough, exhausting work, for which the Endeavour crew has trained 21/2 years -- longer than any shuttle crew this decade.

	?What are the major difficulties involved in ensuring a successful rendezvous between Endeavour and the Russian module Zarya? ?Endeavour's astronauts maneuvered to avoid a spent rocket body on their way to the Zarya linkup. How should countries minimize manmade space debris? ? Predict how the International Space Station will impact future space programs. If you were given a chance, would you take a space flight? Why or why not?

Ross and Newman have carefully choreographed their movements through more than 500 hours practice in a NASA underwater tank.

Helping them through their chores will be pilot Rick Sturckow, who will be in touch via radio from inside the shuttle. Sturckow is trained to replace either man should he be unable to continue the work.

"It looks very exciting but a lot of what we are doing is basic construction and some grunt work," Newman said. "We're doing a lot of things that have some analogy to what you do in an office (on Earth) 'cause that's what we're trying to set up, a laboratory or office where people can go to work."

But even the most mundane tasks can be dangerous in the vacuum of space, where an accidental rip in the spacesuit can mean instant death.

They also face searing heat of 250 degrees when the shuttle is in sunlight and extreme cold of 250 below when it is in darkness.

"And we have to manage all of this without losing any of the pieces off in space," says Newman. "It's like moving the power cables around in your house, but these are big power cables and big connectors."

If all goes well, Ross and Newman will return to the safety of the shuttle just after midnight, early Tuesday, where they'll take off their 300-pound spacesuits, grab a bite to eat and then get ready for bed.

At week's end, Ross, who is flying his sixth mission, will have made seven career spacewalks -- the most for any current astronaut. In some ways, he says, these may be the most satisfying:

"Fifteen years from now when I'm retired and looking up in space, it's going to be a very satisfying feeling to have helped develop this."