Stubborn electrical connections and bolts thwarted an attempt to replace an antenna on the International Space Station (ISS) yesterday, forcing spacewalkers to leave the new unit for another day.

We've all been there. That "quick job" expected to take a few minutes stretches into hours as bolts refuse to budge and unforeseen problems eat into time better spent enjoying a cookie and tasty beverage.

A pair of ISS spacewalkers had much the same experience yesterday. Removing a faulty antenna from the orbiting outpost took longer than expected, leaving too little time to install its replacement.

NASA's Anil Menon and European Space Agency astronaut Sophie Adenot were carrying out the work. The spacewalk had already been delayed after a carbon dioxide sensor in the suit Menon wore during an August 6 spacewalk produced an unexpected reading. The sensor returned to normal after Menon removed the suit.

The August 18 excursion made Adenot the first French woman to perform a spacewalk. She and Menon ventured out of the station's Quest airlock to replace the failed space-to-ground antenna. Menon rode on the Canadarm2, while Adenot remained tethered to the station's truss structure. They were to remove the failed antenna, install a spare stored on an external platform, and stow the old unit.

Alas, it wasn't quite that simple. Disconnecting electrical cables and loosening bolts took much longer than expected. The pair removed the antenna and secured it temporarily, but managers called time before they could install the replacement.

Space-to-ground antennas provide high-data-rate communications through NASA's Tracking and Data Relay Satellite system. The ISS has another fully operational unit, but managers will want to restore the redundancy promptly.

The next spacewalk is scheduled for Tuesday, August 25, although NASA has not said whether the unfinished antenna work can be added to its planned tasks. ®