Astronauts Begin Final Spacewalk To Repair Hubble

An anonymous reader writes "Astronauts John Grunsfield and Andrew Feustel began the fifth and final spacewalk of their Hubble Space Telescope repair mission this morning at 8:20AM. During their spacewalk the two will install the second battery group replacement in an equipment bay above the Wide Field Camera 2 and next to the compartment where the first battery set was installed on the second spacewalk. Each of the battery module weighs 460 pounds and contains three batteries. The batteries provide electrical power to support Hubble's operations during the night when there's no sun to power the solar arrays."

The batteries weigh what?

[Sockatume]

I'm willing to bet that the batteries don't weigh anything right now. ;) Of course using "mass" as a verb is just taking the piss, so I won't do that. I'm sure someone will.

I love NASA TV

[peter303]

I've been listening to and occasionally watching all the space walks streaming live on NASA TV while at work. Thats one video site they havent banned yet. I'm listening to the fifth space-walk now. The view is straight down at earth behind the shuttle.

Every once in a while I hear them count off. I think they are counting seconds they apply a tool, but I haven't been paying close attention.

Re:The batteries weigh what?

[vlm]

modern imperial system

That, sir, is an oxymoron. Like "Military Intelligence" or "Deafening silence" or "clean coal"

The "mass pound" and "weight pound" may be equal at sea level in a certain location or whatever, but probably not equal at any other gravitational potential, which must make for some confusing equations and explanations. Therefore, Why the willful misunderstanding? Because its icky to have the same name for inertial mass and gravitational weight/force.

Thank you Peter for the info. Always a pleasure to converse with another five-digit UID, in our social class above the unwashed masses of six and seven digit UIDs.