ISS spacewalkers discover there's no such thing as a quick antenna job

Astronauts removed broken hardware but will have to return for more orbital DIY

Stubborn electrical connections and bolts thwarted an attempt to replace an antenna on the International Space Station (ISS) yesterday, forcing spacewalkers to leave the new unit for another day.

We've all been there. That "quick job" expected to take a few minutes stretches into hours as bolts refuse to budge and unforeseen problems eat into time better spent enjoying a cookie and tasty beverage.

A pair of ISS spacewalkers had much the same experience yesterday. Removing a faulty antenna from the orbiting outpost took longer than expected, leaving too little time to install its replacement.

NASA's Anil Menon and European Space Agency astronaut Sophie Adenot were carrying out the work. The spacewalk had already been delayed after a carbon dioxide sensor in the suit Menon wore during an August 6 spacewalkproduced an unexpected reading. The...

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