Astronauts offer plumbing services too

Astronauts of the STS-124 Space Shuttle crew were present at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) headquarters to discuss their mission to the International Space Station (ISS). The STS-124 shuttle mission delivered the Pressurized Module and robotic arm of the Japanese Experiment Module (JEM) to the ISS. Chris Shank, head of strategic communications at NASA, referred to the mission as the ‘greatest engineering project in the history of mankind.’

Commander Mark E. Kelly admitted that his first words when crossing over to the ISS were “Anybody need a plumber?” but he was quick to explain that the plumbing situation aboard the ISS was not as dire as it had been portrayed. Kelly said that the biggest part of the mission was the preparation of the JEM for installation. Mission specialist Karen L. Nyberg, Ph. D. said that the installation of the 32,000 pound JEM marked ‘an awesome day for the country of Japan.’

The STS-124 crew members presented a video which showed their experiences in space such as weightlessness, carrying out experiments and installing the robotic arm of the JEM. The mission was the second out of three flights that launched components to complete the ‘Kibo’ laboratory. ‘Kibo’ means hope in Japanese. When asked if there were any unexpected surprises aboard the space shuttle, Nyberg remarked that her biggest surprise of the mission was that everything went according to the schedule.