Astronauts Mike Fincke and Greg Chamitoff completed a seven hour, 24 minute spacewalk at 7:39 a.m. EDT. The primary objectives for the spacewalk were accomplished, including stowing the 50-foot long boom and adding a power and data grapple fixture to make it the Enhanced International Space Station Boom Assembly, available to extend the reach of the space station’s robotic arm.
This was the final spacewalk conducted by space shuttle astronauts. It also was the last of the four spacewalks for the STS-134 mission, for a mission total of 28 hours, 44 minutes.
At 5:02 a.m., Fincke and Chamitoff surpassed the 1,000th hour astronauts and cosmonauts have spent spacewalking in support of space station assembly and maintenance. The milestone occurred four hours and 47 minutes into today’s spacewalk, the 159th in support of station assembly and maintenance, totaling 1,002 hours, 37 min.
It was the 248th spacewalk U.S. astronauts have conducted and the 118th from space station airlocks.
It was Fincke’s ninth spacewalk for a total time of 48 hours and 37 minutes; he is sixth on the all-time list. At about 8 p.m. this evening, he will become the U.S. astronaut who has spent the most number of days in space, surpassing Peggy Whitson’s record of 377 days in space.
It was Chamitoff’s second spacewalk for a total time of 13 hours and 43 minutes.
NASA Television will air a mission status briefing with International Space Station Lead Flight Director Derek Hassmann and STS-134 Lead Spacewalk Officer Allison Bolinger to discuss the spacewalk. The briefing is scheduled to begin at 9 a.m.