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Space station spreads
its solar wings
POSTED: 10:15 a.m. EDT, September 14, 2006 Space station spreads its solar wings
CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida (AP) -- NASA unfurled two
solar wings on the new 17-1/2-ton addition to the
international space station early Thursday after overcoming
a software problem that delayed the maneuver for hours.
As they opened separately like accordion window blinds, the solar wings looked like cosmic blankets of gold bars in the reflection of an orbital sunrise. "Big day for space station. Congratulations," astronaut Pam Melroy in Mission Control radioed Atlantis commander Brent Jett. "We're all extremely happy."
The solar arrays were mounted on blankets and folded up like an accordion for delivery to space as part of the new $372 million addition added to the space station. Together, they span 240 feet. When the space station is completed in 2010, the solar arrays will provide about a quarter of its power. Two of Atlantis' astronauts are experienced in deploying solar arrays. Atlantis commander Brent Jett and mission specialist Joe Tanner were members of a crew in 2000 that also delivered a pair of solar wings to the space station. During that mission, the solar panels unexpectedly stuck to each other while they were being deployed, but the problem was fixed. This time around, NASA devised a new method for unfurling the solar wings which allowed them to be heated up by the sun.
The space station unfurled its new 240-foot solar arrays
Thursday.
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