Astronaut to set record

ASTRONAUT Robert Curbeam is poised to set a record next week when he is scheduled to embark on his fourth spacewalk of the space shuttle Discovery mission, this one to work on a stalled solar panel.

That would be the highest number of forays into space conducted by a crew member on a single mission.

Asked if she was concerned about fatigue, lead spacewalk officer Tricia Mack broke into a smile.

“Really, if anyone can do it, it’s Beamer,” she said, using Curbeam’s nickname. “He is rock solid.”

The fourth spacewalk was unplanned. Nasa added it on Saturday because several attempts have failed in completely retracting the solar panel.

Mr Curbeam, a native of Baltimore, Maryland, came to the Discovery mission the most experienced crew member, both in terms of flight experience and spacewalking.