Today, astronauts aboard the space shuttle Discovery and the International Space Station are preparing for the third and final space walk of the NASA mission STS-119. Carrying out the spacewalk will be two former schoolteachers: Joseph Acaba and Richard Arnold II. The two will step outside the spacecraft and attempt to deploy a jammed equipment storage platform. 

 

The piece of equipment got stuck during the second space walk of the mission which took place on Saturday. Spacewalkers accidentally installed a pin upside down on the platform. They attempted to solve the problem on Saturday, but without success. This time they will be more prepared. Acaba and Arnold will pry bars and hammers with them in case they need them. If this does not work, the spacewalkers will tie the platform down with sturdy tethers, The Associated Press reported. 

 

In other news about the NASA mission STS-119, tests of the ISS urine recycler were halted on Sunday due to problems that occurred and forced NASA to rethink and reprogram its plans for this mission. 

 

Space shuttle Discovery avoided being hit by a piece of space junk that was heading towards it. The flight detectors repositioned the space shuttle so it won’t be in the piece of debris’ way. A collision of this sort could have had catastrophic consequences for the mission and the spacecrafts. 

 

However, despite some problems that were caused mainly by human error and by a considerable amount of bad luck, the main objective of the mission – delivering and installing the final set of solar wings to the ISS – was accomplished. 

 

During the second space walk on Saturday, astronauts also accomplished some other tasks such as loosening connections on batteries that are to be replaced during the next space shuttle mission which is scheduled to take place in June. The spacewalkers also installed a GPS navigation antenna that will be used to guide Japan's new cargo ship into its docking port.

 

The only problem, which then led to other difficulties in accomplishing other tasks, was the installation of the pin needed to mount a cargo platform upside down. However, spacewalkers used tethers to fix the attachment and went on with other tasks. 

 

NASA is also hoping that the astronauts aboard the space shuttle Discovery will also complete a few other maintenance tasks to make life easier for the future crews that will come to he ISS, which has been constructed during more than a decade, it involved the collaboration of 16 nations and cost about $2 billion.