Aug. 16, 2001

 Rookie takes spacewalk today

 By Steven Siceloff
 FLORIDA TODAY

 CAPE CANAVERAL - Pat Forrester already has enjoyed a series of thrills as
 a rookie astronaut aboard Discovery.

 In less than a week he rode a launching shuttle, worked in
 near-weightless conditions and maneuvered the shuttle's robot arm.

 Today, he adds spacewalking to his resume.

 He and astronaut Dan Barry are to install a set of ammonia and nitrogen
 tanks to the outside of space station Alpha. After that, they plan to
 attach a pair of suit- case-size containers for science experiments to
 the station.

 The boxes hold new materials scientists want to test in the harsh
 conditions of space. They range from stronger solar cells to spacesuit
 cloth that may protect future astronauts from radiation.

 Set to start around 10 a.m., it will be the first of two spacewalks the
 pair will take before Discovery wraps up its latest stay at the station.

 Today, Barry and Forrester will move a trunk-size set of ammonia and
 nitrogen tanks onto the station to help the outpost's cooling system. The
 work had been scheduled for a February mission, but the tanks failed in
 ground testing, shuttle Flight Director John Shannon said Wednesday.

 With Forrester outside, Discovery commander Scott "Doc" Horowitz will
 direct the crane-like arm as it lifts the tanks and astronauts onto the
 tower of solar arrays.

 After the ammonia unit is connected, the two spacewalkers will connect a
 pair of experiment boxes to the station's frame. It will be the first
 experiment mounted on the exterior of the station.

 During the second spacewalk, scheduled for Saturday, astronauts will
 string cables on the Destiny laboratory.

 Inside the station, astronaut Susan Helms told hometown reporters she
 wasn't sure if she was ready to come back to Earth after five months in
 space.

 "I have mixed emotions," she told television stations in Portland, Ore.
 "It's been such an amazing experience that I'm not ready for it to end."

 She joked with new station commander Frank Culbertson, floating beside
 her during the session: "But it looks like we've got a new crew, and
 they're going to kick us out."

 Helms is to return aboard Discovery along with station crewmates Yury
 Usachev and Jim Voss.