A spacewalking astronaut put aside the impending birth of his daughter and blazed through his first-ever venture outside the International Space Station on Saturday.
Expectant father Randolph Bresnik and Michael Foreman were so far ahead despite their late start and interrupted sleep the night before - false fire and decompression alarms jolted them awake - that their commander handed them extra work.
"Way to kick butt!," said commander Charles Hobaugh, a Marine.
The spacewalkers installed new antennas, relocated a monitor for electrical hazards, set up an attachment for a spectrometer due to arrive next year, and hooked up a wireless video system for spacewalkers' helmet cameras. Then they released another payload platform.
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'I don't think I've ever seen a more beautiful face' Bresnik was mightily impressed as he started on the work outside.
"Other than seeing my wife for the first time, I don't think I've ever seen a more beautiful face," Bresnik said, gazing down at Earth 220 miles (355 kilometers) below. "This is amazing."
Bresnik's wife, Rebecca, was back home in Houston, due to give birth to their second child at any moment. They also have a 3-year-old son, adopted from Ukraine.
The delivery had been planned for Friday, but the baby had yet to arrive when the second spacewalk of the weeklong mission started Saturday morning. The astronauts agreed with Mission Control to hold off on any news if the birth occurred during the spacewalk.
Everyone wanted Bresnik, a 42-year-old Marine, focused on the spacewalk because of the extra risk posed by working outside.
'I can't understand you' As they soared over Houston, the spacewalkers took time for a little sightseeing. They joked that they could see their homes and hear their commander urging, "Get back to work."
Throughout the spacewalk, Foreman, a veteran spacewalker, had trouble hearing inside his helmet.
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