WASHINGTON, March 18 (RIA Novosti) - U.S. space shuttle Endeavour astronauts have completed their third spacewalk, preparing a new robot designed for the maintenance of the International Space Station for activation, NASA said on Tuesday.
Mission specialists Rick Linnehan and Robert Behnken outfitted the Canadian-built Dextre robot with tools for its work. The two-armed robot, assembled during the previous two spacewalks, is the final element in the station's Mobile Servicing System.
During their spacewalk, which lasted almost seven hours, the astronauts installed a spare parts platform and tool handling assembly for Dextre.
They also checked out and calibrated Dextre's end effector and attached critical spare parts to an external stowage platform.
The current shuttle mission is intended to last for 16 days and to include five spacewalks, with the next one set for Thursday.
