Astronauts prepare for first space walk of mission

Astronauts from the US space shuttle Endeavour prepared for their first spacewalk of the mission yesterday aimed at completing a Japanese space laboratory at the International Space Station.

During their first full day in space, the seven-person crew, including six Americans and one Canadian, inspected the spacesuits that they will use in the five spacewalks planned during the mission.

The Endeavour mission aims to help fulfil "Japan's hope for an out-of-this-world space laboratory," as the shuttle delivers state-of-the-art equipment to conduct experiments in the vacuum of space, according to NASA.

Earlier last Friday the shuttle successfully docked at the space station amid questions about the integrity of the shuttle's heat shield.

The entry of Endeavour's crew aboard the ISS brought the number of astronauts inside the orbiting space station to a record 13.

During the launch, which came after five failed take-off attempts since June 13, debris could be seen peeling away from the shuttle external rocket booster and then striking the spacecraft.

Endeavour astronauts used the shuttle's robotic arm for what the space agency called "the standard flight day two inspection" of the reinforced carbon nose cap and the wing's leading edge.

Imagery experts on the ground will continue to scrutinise images transmitted by the astronauts to determine the state of the shuttle's thermal protection system, NASA said.

The US space agency has been cautious about conditions for the shuttle's exit and return since the Columbia craft blew apart some 20,000 metres above the Earth in 2003 as it was returning from a 16-day space mission to land in Florida.