Astronauts from space shuttle Endeavour have stored a 50ft (15m) inspection pole at the International Space Station (ISS) for use by the next shuttle. The astronauts attached the pole during a fifth and final spacewalk before they return to earth on Wednesday.
Discovery, which is due to fly to the space station in May, will not have space to carry its own pole alongside the Kibo laboratory. The laser-tipped pole is used to inspect the ship for damage.
Its use has become standard procedure since the Columbia accident in 2003. Endeavour astronauts Michael Foreman and Robert Behnken spent six hours on Saturday's walk. After fixing the pole, the astronauts inspected a jammed rotating joint and hung a science experiment to Europe's Colombus lab.
The Endeavour astronauts have already tested a heat-shield tile-repair kit and installed the new Japanese Logistics Module - a storage facility for the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's Kibo laboratory.
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