German astronaut says he’s better and ready for next spacewalk

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — The German astronaut who was too sick to perform a spacewalk refused to say what ailed him, but insisted he’s feeling great — albeit a little anxious — for today’s outing.

Hans Schlegel will float outside the linked space shuttle Atlantis and international space station two days after sitting out the flight’s first spacewalk, which involved installing Europe’s new Columbus science lab.

Schlegel said he backed NASA’s decision to pull him off the first spacewalk because of his illness and delay Columbus’ hookup by a day, even though it was a bitter pill.

“Nobody could have been happier than me when we finished [Monday’s spacewalk] with the major objectives all done,” he said in a series of broadcast interviews Tuesday. “So that’s all I want to say because medical issues are private.”

Schlegel, 56, pointed out that he helped coordinate Monday’s spacewalk from inside.

“I did my very best inside,” he said. “But I do not deny that personally, for me, that was a little bit bitter. But it was the better choice to have the other crew member go out, and once that decision was made, I fully supported as much as I could.”

He noted: “The bigger scheme is what is important.”

NASA and European Space Agency officials stressed there were no changes to today’s spacewalk on Schlegel’s behalf, and that he would do everything just as he’d practiced before last week’s launch. No one is opposed to his going outside to perform the strenuous spacewalking work, officials said.

Schlegel will be accompanied on the 61⁄2-hour spacewalk — his first ever — by one of the NASA astronauts who went out Monday, Rex Walheim. The two will install a new nitrogen tank on the space station.