Houston/Moscow, Sep 14 (DPA) The crew of the US space shuttle Atlantis on Thursday unfurled two giant new solar panels that were installed on the International Space Station (ISS).
The panels were set onto a special truss during two complex space walks this week. Now opened out to their combined length of 73 metres, they will double the solar power intake of the ISS when they are activated during a later shuttle mission.
Experiencing some difficulty, shuttle crewmen Dan Burbank and Steve MacLean on Wednesday over seven hours removed restraints from the panels, which are designed to rotate to face the sun.
MacLean broke a socket while removing one of the bolts, causing concerns that the overly-tight bolt he was working on might not come free. The astronauts eventually had to combine their muscle power to remove it.
During a third planned space walk Friday, astronauts will perform further work on the solar arrays and upgrade communications systems.
In addition to Thursday's construction work, Atlantis astronauts and the crew of the ISS transferred cargo between the shuttle and the station. The Atlantis is slated to leave the station Sunday.