Mar 20 2009
Space Station Unfurls Last Solar Wings
The space station unfurled its last pair of solar wings Friday after 10 years of construction. A few comments when the job was completed; “Tremendous news! Great work guys,” Mission Control called back. “You’ve got a whole bunch of happy people down here as well.”
“We’re very happy as well,” Archambault said. “Full power!”
Each of the new 115-foot (35-meter) wings unfolded gracefully, with none of the glitches which have plagued previous array deployments. The astronauts unfolded the new arrays in stages. That allowed them to warm in the sun to reduce the stickiness.
“It was absolutely beautiful,” station commander Michael Fincke said in a televised interview, adding that there was a “shout of triumph” as the wings unfurled.
Source: Space.com – click here for full article
