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New Japanese lab open for business

The shuttle and station crews opened the newly installed Japanese laboratory Kibo for business Wednesday. Hatch opening occurred at 5:05 p.m. EDT. The experiment module was installed on the Harmony Node’s port side Tuesday.

Image above: Japanese astronaut Akihiko Hoshide KE5DNI holds up a sign for the camera as he enters the Kibo lab for the first time. Photo credit: NASA TV

After a leak check, mission specialists Karen Nyberg and Akihiko Hoshide, KE5DNI, prepared Kibo for activation before opening the hatches. Shortly after entering Kibo, the crew members sampled the air and tested for contamination. They wore protective goggles and masks until they were sure the Japanese lab’s air was clean.

Mission specialists Mike Fossum and Ron Garan reviewed procedures for their second spacewalk and will sleep in the U.S. Quest airlock overnight to purge the nitrogen from their bodies. During Thursday’s spacewalk, the second of the mission, the spacewalkers will outfit the new lab and prepare the Japanese logistics module for relocation.