Space shuttle Atlantis' crew completed several projects aboard the international space station this morning, snapping new batteries into place and hauling gear into the growing outpost.
The focus was on bringing full power to the two Russian segments of the station.
Astronaut Edward Lu and cosmonaut Yuri Malenchenko finished sliding three new batteries into the station's newest addition, the Russian service module Zvezda.
Three of Zvezda's eight batteries were kept back on Earth to conserve weight aboard the hefty spacecraft, grounded for more than two years because of Russia's economic problems. Though Zvezda launched in July, it made its debut in orbit when Atlantis' crew cracked open its hatches Tuesday.
Down the hall from Zvezda, astronaut Daniel Burbank and cosmonaut Boris Morukov replaced one of six batteries aboard the Russian-built control module Zarya. They were to replace another one Wednesday night, to complete an upgrade of the craft's battery system.
In May, astronauts had to replace four of Zarya's batteries, which were damaged via careless overcharging by Russian flight controllers. The two up for replacement this time were near the end of their operational lifetimes, and may also have been improperly charged.
All of the batteries in both modules will have to be brought online, one by one, under the watch of Russian flight controllers. That usually takes about a day after installation, Nasa said.
The battery work wasn't without its difficulties. Four small nutplates, riveted to Zarya's floor, obstructed a pair of bolts that Burbank and Morukov needed to loosen to replace a voltage converter that goes with the new battery. Mission Control quickly consulted with engineers in Houston and Russia for a solution. Their high-tech answer? Knock the nutplates free with a hammer and chisel.
Mission Control sent Burbank to retrieve the space station's tool kit, with a motherly reminder to remember his safety goggles. He then chipped the end off the rivets holding the offending nutplates down, enabling him to remove a bracket that blocked part of the battery compartment.
Aside from that small challenge, the shuttle and station appeared to be running very well.
During their five days inside the station, the crew has to transfer 6,100 pounds of equipment from the shuttle and an unmanned Russian supply ship which docked with Zvezda in August.
The gear is for the station's first resident crew, who are due to spend four months on board beginning in November.
Atlantis is scheduled to undock from the space station Sunday and finish its 12-day mission with a September 20 return.
