Astronauts to Marks Apollo 11 With Spacewalk

Astronauts' Monday schedule shows that life in the space program ranges from the sublime to the mundane—even on the same day. NASA crews plan a spacewalk to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing; they also have to fix a broken toilet.

Photo: Astronauts to Marks Apollo 11 With Spacewalk

Space shuttle Endeavour crewmembers awoke this morning to the theme from the 1960s TV show "The Thunderbirds." Later today, astronauts Dave Wolf and Tom Marshburn will begin a scheduled six and a half hour spacewalk outside the vehicle, reports InformationWeek.

During the planned 6 1/2-hour spacewalk, astronauts Dave Wolf and Tom Marshburn will unpack a container filled with a spare antenna, pump mechanism, and small motor that was delivered to the orbital outpost when the Endeavour docked Friday.

It is the second spacewalk for Endeavour's astronauts, who lifted off last week on the eve of the Apollo 11 mission's launch and now find themselves in space with six station crewmembers during the 40th anniversary of the historic July 20, 1969 moon landing, iforms Space.com.

According to The Register, NASA's deluxe International Space Station toilet clapped out yesterday, meaning the 13 astronauts currently aboard the orbiting outpost will temporarily have to share the Russian "Waste Management System" and space shuttle Endeavour's facilities.