At 6:38 a.m. EDT, STS-132 spacewalkers Steve Bowen and Michael Good switched their suits to battery power, signifying the start of today’s 6.5-hour excursion 35 minutes early. Space shuttle Atlantis Pilot Tony Antonelli will be inside the International Space Station, choreographing the activities and coordinating communications between the spacewalkers and Mission Control in Houston.
This is the 238th spacewalk conducted by U.S. astronauts, the 145th in support of space station assembly and maintenance, the fifth for Bowen and the third for Good. Bowen, lead for this spacewalk, is wearing a spacesuit marked with a solid red stripe, and his helmet cam displays number 20. Good will wear a spacesuit marked with a band of red and white barber pole stripes; his helmet cam displays number 19.
Bowen’s first task of the spacewalk will be to address the snagged cable at the camera on the end of the Orbiter Boom Sensor System. The task is expected to take 20-30 minutes.
The primary work of the spacewalk is to exchange three batteries. The spacewalk may be extended to accomplish a fourth battery exchange.
If time permits, the spacewalkers would attempt to tighten the bolts connecting the space-to-ground antenna dish to the boom, both of which were installed during the first spacewalk.