Article Posted on : - Aug 31, 2012

Flight Engineer Akihiko Hoshide rides on the space station's robotic arm. A NASA TV photo

WASHINGTON (BNS): International Space Station (ISS) crew members Sunita Williams and Akihiko Hoshide have completed the second spacewalk of Expedition 32 mission.

Indian-American astronaut Williams and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's Hoshide began their space excursion at 8:16 am EDT (1216 GMT) Thursday and wrapped it up at 4:33 pm EDT (2033 GMT) after over eight hours.

The spacewalk was supposed to last six-and-half-hours.

During the exercise, the duo, however, failed to install a new power relay unit on the International Space Station's s-zero truss, NASA said. After removing and stowing the failed unit, the spacewalkers had difficulties driving the bolts to secure the replacement switching unit in the truss.

Prior to the task, Williams was able to successfully connect one of two power cables in preparation for the arrival late next year of a Russian laboratory module at the orbital outpost.

The third objective of replacing a camera on the Canadarm2 robotic arm was not completed, the space agency said.

Thursday's spacewalk was the fifth for Williams and the first for Hoshide.

Earlier on August 20, Russian cosmonauts Gennady Padalka and Yury Malenchenko had successfully undertaken the first spacewalk of the Expedition to relocate a cargo boom and install a shield to protect one of the ISS modules from micro-meteorites and space debris.

They had also deployed a small science satellite during the excursion.