Mission

The assembly of Dexter during EVA#3（Image credit: NASA）

Outside of the station, the STS-123 Mission's second extravehicular activity (EVA#2) was carried out. Two spacewalkers left the quest airlock at 8:49 a.m. to continue Dextre's on-orbit assembly. The EVA#2 lasted seven hours and eight minutes.

The assembly of Dexter will be completed during the mission's third extravehicular activity (EVA#3) planned on FD8.

Inside the Japanese Experiment Logistics Module-Pressurized Section (ELM-PS or JLP), astronaut Doi continued the rack reconfigurations.

Astronaut Doi's on-orbit activities

Today, astronaut Doi continued the reconfigurations of Kibo's racks in the ELM-PS along with the ISS commander Peggy Whitson, flight engineer Yuri Malenchenko, STS-123 mission crew fellow Leopold Eyharts.

Rack reconfiguration includes the removals of the numerous launch locks that fixated the racks during launch for avoiding any launch-impacts.

The following racks were reconfigured by the end of today: the Inter-orbit Communication System (ICS) rack, JEM Remote Manipulator System (JEMRMS) rack, SAIBO rack, RYUTAI rack and Japanese Resupply Stowage Rack (JRSR).

These tasks were originally scheduled on FD7, however, astronaut Doi completed the task ahead of schedule since his tasks has been going so smoothly from yesterday.

The ICS rack contains the Kibo's communication system intended for the direct communication between the Kibo and Tsukuba Space Center in Japan, via the Japanese satellite, Data Relay Test Satellite (DRTS), called Kodama. The JEMRMS rack is the robotic control workstation (console) for Kibo's robotic arm.
SAIBO and RYUTAI racks are the International Standard Payload Racks (ISPRs) that contain JAXA's experiments. The IRSR is the Japan's stowage rack.

Astronaut Doi also checked the temperatures of the ELM-PS shell with the Minimum Keep Alive Monitor (MKAM) and the Multimeter and Scopemeter Temperature Probe. The data will be used for a thermal analysis of the ELM-PS's trunnions.
Since the installation of multi-layer insulation (MLI) covers on the ELM-PS's trunnions has been deleted from the timeline of the EVA#5 and replaced by the inspection of the starboard Solar Alpha Rotary Joint (SARJ), the enginners at TKSC are slated to examine if the trunnions would survive without the MLI covers until the STS-124 Mission.

If schedule allows, the installation of the MLI covers on the ELM-PS's trunnions will be inserted to the EVA#3. In that case, the thermal analysis may not be required.

For further information, please refer to the NASA STS-123 Mission Status Report

*All times are Japan Standard Time (JST)