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Atlantis 'nauts suit & boot up for bolt release spacewalk

'Righty tighty, lefty loosey', remember

Atlantis mission specialists Steve Bowen and Garrett Reisman are due to exit the International Space Station this afternoon for the first of three STS-132 mission spacewalks.

The pair are tasked with installing "a second station space-to-ground Ku-band antenna and a spare parts platform on Dextre, the two-armed robotic Special Purpose Dexterous Manipulator".

The next two EVAs will be entirely devoted to replacing six batteries on the ISS's port truss, which store energy from solar panels on that truss. In preparation for that, Bowen and Reisman will today loosen bolts holding the existing batteries in place.

The spacewalk is scheduled to kick off at around 12:15 GMT. ®

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