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Atlantis 'nauts kick off final spacewalk

Battery bolting duties continue

Atlantis mission specialists Michael Good and Garrett Reisman exited the International Space Station at 12:27 GMT to kick off the third and final STS-132 mission spacewalk.

First up, the pair will "install an ammonia jumper on the Port 4/Port 5 truss". NASA explains: "The cable is a backup for the existing system. It would allow for an easier swap to this fluid line for ammonia, which is used to cool the space station's systems."

The astronauts will then swap out the last two of six nickel-hydrogen battery units on the orbiting outpost's Port 6 truss, completing the work successfully begun on the first two EVAs.

The old batteries are bolted to the Integrated Cargo Carrier at the end of the Station's robotic arm, for subsequent return to Earth aboard Atlantis. Here's a pic of Good and Reisman securing the first, about one hour and 15 minutes into their EVA:

Spacewalkers bolt old battery to Integrated Cargo Carrier. Pic: NASA TV

If there's time, Good and Reisman will wrap their excursion by moving "a power and data grapple fixture from Atlantis’ cargo bay into the station". This will "be installed later on the Zarya module, to provide a base for the station arm to work in that area".

The spacewalk is available live on NASA TV, right here. ®

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