Spacewalkers "Camping Out" to Prepare for Final Excursion

STS-129 Mission Specialists Randy Bresnik and Robert Satcher Jr., set to perform the third and final spacewalk of the mission Monday, are spending the night in the Quest airlock as part of the overnight “campout” procedure that helps purge nitrogen from their bloodstreams, preventing decompression sickness once they move out into the vacuum of space.

The International Space Station crew began its sleep shift at 5:58 p.m. EST, and the shuttle crew headed to bed a half hour later. Both crews are set to wake up Monday at 2:28 a.m. The spacewalk is slated to begin at 7:18 a.m.