Image above: A view of Mission Specialists Mike Fossum and Ron Garan as they conduct the second spacewalk of the STS-124 mission. Photo credit: NASA TV

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STS-124 spacewalkers complete second excursion

Mission Specialists Mike Fossum and Ron Garan completed the second STS-124 spacewalk.

The 7-hour, 11-minute excursion ended at 6:15 p.m. EDT Thursday.

The spacewalkers installed two cameras on the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency’s Kibo laboratory. These cameras will be used to judge clearances for the module’s robotic arm.

Garan and Fossum also prepared the laboratory’s top active common berthing mechanism for the attachment of the smaller section of the module, the Japanese Experiment Logistics Module - Pressurized Section, which was delivered during STS-123.

In addition, the two spacewalkers made preparations for a nitrogen tank assembly swap they will make on their third spacewalk. They also removed an external television camera that had a failing power supply.

Image above: STS-124 Commander Mark Kelly (center) and Expedition 17 Flight Engineer Greg Chamitoff, KD5PKZ (top) help Mission Specialists Ron Garan (far left) and Mike Fossum remove their spacesuits after a successful second spacewalk. Credit: NASA TV

Fossum also inspected the space station's port solar alpha rotary joint, or SARJ. Unlike the starboard SARJ, the port SARJ has performed flawlessly. The inspection was done to ensure the port SARJ remains in good condition

Inside the space station, astronauts moved all the racks from the Japanese logistics module into the Kibo JPM, and closed the logistics module's hatch. The logistics module is ready to be relocated Friday from its current location on top of the Harmony node to its permanent location on top of the JPM. Both Kibo JPM power channels have been activated and are functioning normally.