Oct 15, 2002 By Marcia Dunn Ap Aerospace Writer 2 min read

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) – Making the third and final spacewalk of their mission, shuttle Atlantis’ astronauts finished installing a $390 million girder on the international space station Monday. “We’re over the hill,” spacewalker David Wolf said midway through the 250-mile-high construction job. “I mean, over the hill on the station.” “No comment,” his partner, Piers Sellers, jokingly replied. Both men are in their mid to late 40s.

The two astronauts arrived with the 14-ton girder aboard space shuttle Atlantis last week.

Wolf and Sellers hooked up the last of the ammonia lines for the elaborate air-conditioning system that came with the girder. The men also attached more pressure-relief clamps to the coolant lines. They were so far ahead of schedule they even took on a little extra work.

“You guys are doing a great job,” Mission Control said as they jumped ahead. “Our only concern is that you’re making it look too easy for us.”

To NASA’s delight, the astronauts managed to retract a stuck bolt in some of the equipment that was installed last spring.

The spacewalk lasted the allotted 61/2 hours. Earlier Monday, the six shuttle astronauts and the three fliers aboard the space station enjoyed a close-up view of the unfolding of one of the three radiators on the new girder.

As soon as the radiator reached its full 75 feet in length, the shuttle crew played a recording of Handel’s “Hallelujah Chorus.”

“That’s very appropriate music,” Mission Control said.

The middle radiator was supposed to be extended by flight controllers Sunday, but the operation was delayed because of a minor electrical problem. The two other radiators will not be opened until next year; the heat-shedding system will not be activated until then.

Atlantis and its crew will leave the space station on Wednesday and return to Earth on Friday. The three station residents have another month to go before coming home.

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