Plans called for three of the batteries to be replaced Wednesday, and mission managers hoped the fourth could be changed out. Remaining batteries are to be swapped during a Friday spacewalk by Good and Garrett Reisman.

The spacewalk, the fifth for Bowen and the third for Good, got under way at 6:38 a.m. EDT, more than 25 minutes ahead of the scheduled start that already had been moved up 30 minutes.

One reason for the early scheduled start was the addition of a task to remove a cable snag in the orbiter boom sensor system's pan and tilt mechanism. Bowen accomplished that task in less than 30 minutes, while Good began work with the batteries.

After the battery work and cleanup of the area, the spacewalkers moved on to the new backup Ku band antenna on the Z1 truss. They tightened bolts holding its dish to its boom, closing a gap left there after Monday's spacewalk. They removed launch latches, leaving the antenna ready to operate.

The spacewalk officially ended at 1:47 p.m., when Quest repressurization began.

Rassvet Activities, Interviews and Spacewalk Preps Thursday
Thursday's activities include the initial hatch opening of the Mini Research Module-1, named Rassvet. Crew members will put in a filter to cleanse the air.

Atlantis crew members Commander Ken Ham, Pilot Tony Antonelli, Mission Specialist Piers Sellers and International Space Station Expedition 23 Flight Engineer Tracy Caldwell Dyson will participate in an interview with the Associated Press, Fox News Radio and CBS.

The crew then will have the remainder of the day off, until Mission Specialists Michael Good and Garrett Reisman begin preparations for the mission's final spacewalk.

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