S119-E-006673 (19 March 2009) --- Astronauts Steve Swanson (center) and Richard Arnold (partially obscured above Swanson), both STS-119 mission specialists, participate in the mission's first scheduled session of extravehicular activity (EVA) as construction and maintenance continue on the International Space Station. During the six-hour, seven-minute spacewalk, Swanson and Arnold connected bolts to permanently attach the S6 truss segment to S5. The spacewalkers plugged in power and data connectors to the truss, prepared a radiator to cool it, opened boxes containing the new solar arrays and deployed the Beta Gimbal Assemblies containing masts that support the solar arrays.
Date March 19, 2009