Space pair give helping hand

CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida - Spacewalking astronauts gave a hand to the International Space Station's big robot arm on Tuesday.

As the federal government geared back up 560 kilometers below, NASA astronauts Mark Vande Hei and Scott Tingle successfully installed the new mechanical gripper.

Because of the lingering effects of the government shutdown, the spacewalk got started in the morning without coverage on NASA TV. An on-air message simply stated: "We regret the inconvenience."