Polskie Forum Astronautyczne
Artykuły o tematyce astronautycznej => Artykuły astronautyczne => Wątek zaczęty przez: Orionid w Stycznia 29, 2021, 01:48
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Balky connectors prevent full activation of European experiment platform
January 27, 2021 William Harwood
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Astronaut Mike Hopkins works outside the International Space Station during a spacewalk Wednesday. Credit: NASA TV/Spaceflight Now
Two astronauts working outside the International Space Station Wednesday installed a European Space Agency data relay antenna and connected four of six cables to partially power a new ESA experiment platform. They also removed two solar array handling fixtures to clear the way for a future power system upgrade.
But the two cables they were unable to connect to the Bartolomeo platform, attached to the front side of ESA’s Columbus laboratory module, will need to be connected later to accommodate a full suite of external payloads.
“At least we got partially connected to Bartolomeo,” European astronaut Andreas Mogensen radioed the crew from mission control in Houston.
Floating in the Quest airlock, astronauts Mike Hopkins and Victor Glover switched their suits to battery power at 6:28 a.m. EST to officially kick off 233rd spacewalk in station history and the first so far this year. It was the third spacewalk for Hopkins and the first for Glover.
After floating out of the airlock, Glover attached a foot restraint to the end of the space station’s robot arm and rode the space crane to the European Space Agency’s Columbus module where he and Hopkins installed a high-speed Ka-band data relay antenna.
Flight controllers initially had problems activating a heater in the antenna, but after Hopkins unplugged and re-connected a power cable, the system began working normally.
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The Bartolomeo platform is transferred from the Dragon cargo ship to the International Space Station last year. Credit: NASA
The spacewalkers then worked to route cables and to connect the Bartolomeo experiment platform to the Columbus module, providing power and data relay to experiment and instrument attachment points
Bartolomeo was delivered to the station last spring aboard a SpaceX cargo ship and attached to Columbus using the robot arm. The platform will be used to mount a variety of external experiment packages that can be changed out as needed for research.
“We have been preparing for the better part of a year as we awaited the arrival of the Bartolomeo platform,” said flight director Rick Henfling. “It arrived on the SpaceX CRS-20 (cargo) mission last April. It was installed robotically, and now we have a few more tasks, using our spacewalkers to hook up the power and data connections.”
But Hopkins and Glover were only able to get four of six cables properly connected. While Hopkins worked to resolve the problem, Glover, still riding on the end of the robot arm, carried a protective cover that had been attached to the new antenna to a point well away from the main body of the station.
Once in position, seeming to float alone in orbital darkness, Glover pushed the boxy antenna cover away on a trajectory that ensured it would not make its way back to the station’s vicinity before re-entering the atmosphere and burning up.
Unable to resolve the cable trouble, Hopkins capped the two balky connectors and used tie-downs to hold all the cables in place.
Both spacewalkers then made their way to the far left end of the station’s power truss and removed two solar array ground handling fixtures. The so-called “H fixtures” are being taken off to make way for new solar panels that will be attached to the existing arrays later to boost the lab’s power output.
Today’s spacewalk came to an end at 1:24 p.m. after six hours and 56 minutes.
Hopkins and Glover plan to carry out a second spacewalk next week to remove additional H fixtures, to complete work to install a replacement solar array battery and to replace cameras on the power truss, the Destiny lab module and on a Japanese robot arm.
“We’ve been talking about this particular set of EVAs for the better part of a year,” said Kenny Todd, space station integration manager at the Johnson Space Center. “So I’m certainly ready to be done talking about them and actually go see them executed.”
Source: https://spaceflightnow.com/2021/01/27/eva-69/
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Spacewalkers upgrade station cameras, complete battery work
February 1, 2021 William Harwood [SFN]
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Victor Glover works outside the International Space Station on Feb. 1, 2021. Image: NASA TV/Spaceflight Now.
Astronauts Mike Hopkins and Victor Glover floated back outside the International Space Station Monday and completed solar array battery replacement work that began four years ago. They also installed three new video cameras and made preparations for upcoming work to install new roll-out solar blankets to upgrade the lab’s power system.
The work took less time than expected and the astronauts were able to carry out a variety of lower-priority “get-ahead” tasks before returning to Quest airlock and calling it a day, closing out a five-hour 20-minute spacewalk.
Taking one last look around before entering the airlock, Hopkins said simply “beautiful view.”
The excursion began at 7:56 a.m. EST when the two men switched their spacesuits to battery power, officially kicking off the 234th spacewalk, or EVA, devoted to station assembly and maintenance since construction began 23 years ago in 1998.
“OK, it’s a beautiful day. Let’s go for a walk outside,” astronaut Bob Hines radioed from mission control in Houston.
The first priority was electrically connecting a replacement battery in the station’s solar power system.
The batteries are critical to station operation. They are recharged by the arrays when the lab is in sunlight and then provide that stored power during periods of orbital darkness.
Starting in 2017, spacewalking astronauts began work to replace all 48 of the station’s original nickel-hydrogen batteries with 24 smaller, more powerful lithium ion units.
During battery replacement work in March 2019, one of the new lithium ion power packs used by the station’s left-side inboard set of arrays failed and was replaced with one of the older nickel hydrogen batteries that had been removed. All of the other older batteries were replaced as planned during multiple spacewalks.
Over the weekend, flight controllers operating the station’s robot arm by remote control disconnected the one remaining nickel hydrogen battery and robotically installed a fresh lithium ion unit. Hopkins and Glover electrically connected the replacement, finally completing the power system upgrade four years after the work began.
Before leaving the battery worksite, Hopkins and Glover removed a no-longer-needed solar array ground handling fixture to make way for the eventual attachment of new solar blankets to boost the lab’s power.
The remainder of the spacewalk was primarily devoted to upgrading the station’s external camera system.
With Glover now riding on the end of the station’s robot arm, the astronauts first removed and replaced a camera group mounted on a stand attached to the right side inboard solar array truss segment.
Glover then rode the arm to the Destiny laboratory module to attach a high definition camera to an existing set while Hopkins, meanwhile, headed out to the Kibo laboratory module to install a new wrist camera on the lab’s small Japanese robot arm.
The astronauts completed their planned work well ahead of schedule, allowing time for a few get-ahead tasks before returning to the airlock and repressurizing at 1:15 p.m. Total spacewalk time across 234 EVAs since station assembly began now stands at 1,471 hours and seven minutes, or 61.3 days.
Two more spacewalks are planned over the next few weeks by the current Expedition 64 crew.
Glover and veteran spacewalker Kate Rubins will work outside the lab to make more preparations for attachment of new solar blankets. Two sets of “ISS roll out solar array” blankets will be carried up later this year aboard SpaceX Dragon cargo ships.
Rubins and Japanese astronaut Soichi Noguchi, also a veteran spacewalker, will carry out a variety of station upgrades during the current crew’s final spacewalk.
Source: https://spaceflightnow.com/2021/02/01/spacewalk-underway-to-upgrade-station-cameras-complete-battery-work/
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Astronauts complete spacewalk to prep for station power system upgrades
February 28, 2021 William Harwood [SFN]
EDITOR’S NOTE: Updated at 2 p.m. EST (1900 GMT) after end of spacewalk.
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Two astronauts floated outside the International Space Station Sunday for the first in a series of spacewalks to upgrade the lab’s aging solar power system, assembling a support fixture that eventually will hold a new solar blanket.
The spacewalkers lost time struggling to get a bolt properly tightened and were unable to get as far along as they’d planned with a second fixture. That work will resume next Friday in an already planned spacewalk primarily devoted to station maintenance.
Floating in the Quest airlock, Kate Rubins and Victor Glover switched their spacesuits to battery power at 6:12 a.m. EST to officially kick off the 235th station spacewalk since assembly began in 1998, the third so far this year and the third overall for both astronauts.
Both astronauts were equipped with helmet cameras, but Rubins made the first use of a high-definition “helmetcam” that provided razor-sharp views, allowing flight controllers to follow along as never before.
The goal of the excursion was to install struts at the far left end of the station’s power truss to support new roll-out solar array blankets scheduled for delivery later this year and next. Additional spacewalks will be needed to installed additional support fixtures and, eventually, new solar array blankets.
The space station is equipped with four huge solar array wings, two on each side of the lab’s power truss. Each wing is made up of two 39-foot-wide blankets extending 112 feet in opposite directions. The first two-blanket wing was launched in December 2000 with additional pairs delivered in 2006, 2007 and 2009.
https://twitter.com/SpaceflightNow/status/1366013258935771138
Spaceflight Now@SpaceflightNow 2:11 PM · Feb 28, 2021
Astronauts Kate Rubins and Victor Glover are working outside the International Space Station today.
They are installing the first support fixture to support new solar arrays arriving later this year to upgrade the station’s electrical system.
Watch live: https://spaceflightnow.com/2021/02/28/iss-eva-71/
The arrays feed power into eight electrical circuits, two per wing. When the station is in daylight, the arrays charge batteries and deliver power to the lab’s myriad systems. During night passes, the batteries feed stored power to the station.
Solar cells degrade over time and NASA is adding six new blankets, at a cost of $103 million, to the existing power system. Each one of the new ISS roll-out solar arrays, or IROSA, blankets measure 20 feet wide by 63 feet long when fully extended, generating more than 20 kilowatts.
Combined with the 95 kilowatt output of the original eight panels, the station’s upgraded system will provide about 215,000 kilowatts of power.
“Commercial users are coming on board that are looking for power that that we didn’t even dream of back in the mid 90s,” said Kenny Todd, deputy manager of the station program at the Johnson Space Center.
“The technology really has gotten to the point that we can do something like these roll out solar arrays. They’re not as big as the ones that we previous deployed, and yet we can we can get even more power out of them.”
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Six of the space station’s eight large solar arrays will be augmented with new solar panels. Credit: NASA TV/Spaceflight Now
Rubins and Glover spent the day Sunday working at the base of the far left, or port six, set of solar arrays, which provide power to electrical channels 2B and 4B.
Exiting the airlock, the astronauts carried out two eight-foot-long bags containing the struts needed for assembly of triangular support fixtures at the bases of the two P6 arrays.
The first fixture, on the P6/2B solar array mast canister, went together relatively smoothly but the astronauts had problems completely tightening a bolt holding a strut to the structure. While the fixture was securely attached to the mast canister, a bit of play remained.
Rubins backed out one bolt and attempted to re-install it, but it again stalled before firmly locking the components flush together. Rubins and Japanese astronaut Soichi Noguchi plan another spacewalk next Friday and they may make another attempt to tighten the stuck bolt.
In the meantime. Glover pressed ahead with assembly of a triangular section of the support fixture needed for the P6/4A set of arrays. It was tied down on the station’s power truss to await assembly during the next spacewalk.
Rubins and Glover then returned to the Quest airlock, ending a seven-hour four-minute spacewalk at 1:16 p.m. Total station spacewalk time now stands at 1,478 hours and four minutes, or 61.6 days. Rubins’ total through three spacewalks stands at 19 hours and 50 minutes while Glover has logged 19 hours and 20 minutes through his three excursions.
Additional spacewalks will be needed later to install the four additional solar blanket supports and the blankets themselves. The new arrays will be delivered aboard three SpaceX Dragon cargo ships starting later this year. Two spacewalks will be required to install each new blanket.
Source: https://spaceflightnow.com/2021/02/28/iss-eva-71/
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Rubins and Noguchi assemble solar array support fixtures outside space station
March 5, 2021 William Harwood [SFN]
EDITOR’S NOTE: Updated at 2:30 p.m. EDT (1930 GMT) after end of spacewalk.
STORY WRITTEN FOR CBS NEWS & USED WITH PERMISSION
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Astronaut Soichi Noguchi works outside the International Space Station on Friday. Credit: NASA TV/Spaceflight Now
NASA astronaut Kate Rubins and Soichi Noguchi, a Japanese astronaut who last walked in space more than 15 years ago, ventured outside the International Space Station Friday and completed assembly of two solar array support fixtures, part of a $100 million power system upgrade.
After handling multiple struts and bolts, Rubins reported a small pin-prick “hole” in one of her gloves and while there was no leakage and no emergency, she expressed concern about moving too far from Noguchi for additional work.
“There’s a hole in my right index finger through the RTV (insulation),” she told astronaut Frank Rubio in mission control. “It’s unchanged in appearance. And we have a middle finger peeling, my right middle finger, and … gaps in the RTV on my left middle finger.”
With installation of the solar array support fixtures complete, Rubio asked how she felt about leaving Noguchi, moving back to the space station airlock to drop off tools and then heading out to the European Columbus laboratory module to complete electrical connections for a recently installed experiment platform.
“This is kind of a pinprick hole versus RTV peeling,” Rubins replied. “So I’m mildly concerned about going real far from Soichi.”
Rubins’ suit maintained the proper pressure throughout, but given time lost earlier assembling the solar array supports, flight controllers opted to call it a day without pressing ahead with work to finish wiring up the experiment platform.
“I think that’s a good plan,” Rubins said. “Thanks, Frank.”
https://twitter.com/SpaceflightNow/status/1367893526068011012
Spaceflight Now @SpaceflightNow
Astronaut Kate Rubins reports a “pinpoint” hole in the glove of her spacesuit, but there's no leak as she and Soichi Noguchi wrap up a spacewalk at the International Space Station.
Rubins said she is “mildly concerned” about getting too far from Noguchi.
The work began at 6:37 a.m. EST when the astronauts switched their suits to battery power, officially kicking off the year’s fourth spacewalk, the 236th since station assembly began in 1998.
“What a view!” Noguchi said as he floated out of the airlock some 260 miles above the Atlantic Ocean.
It was the fourth spacewalk for Rubins, including one last Sunday with crewmate Victor Glover to begin the assembly of the solar array fixtures. It also was the fourth spacewalk for Noguchi, whose last excursion came in 2005 during the first post-Columbia shuttle mission.
Last Sunday, Rubins and Glover installed the first of two new solar array support fixtures at the base of the lab’s far left set of solar wings. The fixtures are designed to support new roll-out solar blankets that will be installed later to boost the station’s power generation.
But the astronauts had problems fully seating two bolts connecting struts in the Tinker Toy-like fixture. Rubins and Noguchi first finished assembly of the second solar array support and used a torque wrench to tighten up the bolts in the first assembly.
“Amazing! I’m so happy to see that black line,” Rubins said, referring to an indicator showing the second bolt was fully seated.
“It’s amazing what a little torque can do,” Rubio replied.
The flight plan then called for Rubins to venture to the front of the European Space Agency’s Columbus laboratory module where the external experiment platform — Bartolomeo — is attached. While she worked to complete electrical connections, Noguchi planned to install a replacement wireless video transceiver attached to the central Unity module.
But given the time lost with the solar array assembly work, those tasks were deferred to a future spacewalk. Rubins and Noguchi returned to the airlock and repressurization began at 1:33 p.m., bringing the 6-hour 56-minute excursion to a close.
NASA plans to install six new ISS roll-out solar arrays, or IROSA, blankets that are scheduled for delivery later this year and next aboard SpaceX Dragon cargo ships. Additional spacewalks will be needed to install additional support fixtures and, eventually, the new roll-out blankets.
The space station is equipped with four primary solar array wings, two on each side of the lab’s power truss. Each wing is made up of two 39-foot-wide blankets extending 112 feet in opposite directions. The first two-blanket wing was launched in December 2000 with additional pairs delivered in 2006, 2007 and 2009.
Solar cells degrade over time and NASA is adding six new blankets, at a cost of $103 million, to the existing power system. Each one of the new IROSA blankets measure 20 feet wide by 63 feet long when fully extended, generating more than 20 kilowatts.
The two support fixtures, or “mod kits,” assembled last Sunday and Friday will carry two of the new arrays at the far left end of the station’s power truss, tilting them at an angle so the new panels and the original arrays get sunlight.
Combined with the 95 kilowatt output of the original eight panels, the station’s upgraded system will provide about 215 kilowatts of power, enough for NASA-sponsored research and anticipated commercial activity between now and the end of the decade.
Source: https://spaceflightnow.com/2021/03/05/us-eva-72/
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Spacewalkers vent coolant lines and mate cables outside space station
March 13, 2021 William Harwood [SFN]
STORY WRITTEN FOR CBS NEWS & USED WITH PERMISSION
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Astronaut Soichi Noguchi shared this photo of astronaut Victor Glover on a spacewalk Saturday, with this caption: “FLY NAVY! IKE @AstroVicGlover soars over US LAB module.” Credit: Soichi Noguchi/JAXA/NASA
Struggling with balky electrical connectors, spacewalker Mike Hopkins managed to plug in and secure three of four thick power and data cables Saturday that are needed by a European experiment platform, leaving one cable for additional troubleshooting.
Hopkins and crewmate Victor Glover also vented residual ammonia coolant from two jumpers used to service the station’s thermal control system, stowing the hoses in different locations for future use if needed.
One jumper spewed more ammonia ice crystals than expected when it was vented to space, but the astronauts said their suits did not appear to be contaminated with any flakes that could be brought back into the station.
Glover replaced a wireless camera transceiver and attached a stiffener to a flexible thermal cover on the Quest airlock’s outer hatch. He complained of an unusual irritation that briefly caused his right eye to tear up, but said repeated blinking seemed to help.
Hopkins also reconfigured a HAM radio antenna on the European Columbus module that failed to work correctly after a recent upgrade and both spacewalkers began work to route two ethernet cables that eventually will be part of an expanded external wi-fi network.
All of the major tasks originally were planned for spacewalks earlier this month but they were deferred after the assembly of two solar array support fixtures took longer than expected.
Floating in the Quest airlock, Hopkins and Glover began Saturday’s excursion when they switched their spacesuits to battery power at 8:14 a.m. EST, kicking off the 237th spacewalk, or EVA, devoted to station assembly and maintenance since construction began in 1998.
The first task on the agenda was to safely vent the two ammonia jumpers, used for loading coolant in the station’s thermal control system and for helping track down leaks. The jumpers were located on the far left end of the lab’s solar power truss, a segment known as port 6, or P6.
After confirming no contamination with ammonia ice crystals, the spacewalkers stowed one jumper on the P6 segment for any future troubleshooting that might be needed on that side of the station while the other was mounted outside the airlock for use if needed later on the right side.
https://twitter.com/SpaceflightNow/status/1370749361362178053
Spaceflight Now @SpaceflightNow 3:51 PM · Mar 13, 2021
Astronauts Victor Glover and Mike Hopkins have vented two ammonia coolant jumpers on the International Space Station’s solar power truss, completing the first tasks of today’s spacewalk.
Venting ammonia is visible on the right in this video.
“Of course, when dealing with ammonia, extra vigilance is necessary because of the concern that if we got ammonia contamination on the suits, and then brought that inside station, that could represent a potential toxic atmosphere situation for the crew and station,” spacewalk flight director Chris Edelen said earlier.
With the jumper venting and relocation complete, Glover installed a replacement wireless camera transceiver near the central Unity module while Hopkins worked at the forward end of the station where the European Space Agency’s Columbus laboratory module is attached.
An external experiment platform known as Bartolomeo was attached to the forward side of Columbus earlier, but spacewalkers had problems completing electrical connections during an earlier outing. Hopkins struggled to complete the job Saturday, but eventually succeeded with three of four cables.
“Mated! It’s over center,” Hopkins called when the first balky connector was plugged in and locked in place. “Nice! And the crowd goes wild!”
“Good job, wow, excellent,” Andreas Mogensen replied from mission control. “Good news.”
“I’d say touchdown, but he played on the wrong side of the ball,” Glover quipped, referring to Hopkins’ college football career as a University of Illinois defensive back.
“We did interceptions once in a while,” Hopkins said.
The wireless video system external transceiver assembly, or WETA, that Glover installed is one of three mounted around the station’s exterior. The unit in question failed late last year.
“This is essentially an antenna that receives the transmissions from the crew members’ helmetcams,” Edelen said. “We … really appreciate having this in mission control during EVAs to be able to have the crew members’ perspective to see exactly what they’re working on. So we definitely want to … get this replaced so that we have good coverage.”
The spacewalk came to an end at 3:01 p.m. for a duration of six hours and 47 minutes. Total station spacewalk time through 237 excursions now stands at 1,491 hours and 54 minutes, or 62.2 days.
Source: https://spaceflightnow.com/2021/03/13/us-eva-73/
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Spacewalkers prepare space station’s Russian Pirs module for disposal
June 2, 2021 William Harwood [SFN]
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Russian cosmonaut Pyotr Dubrov wears an Oral spacesuit during a spacewalk Wednesday outside the International Space Station. Credit: NASA
Two cosmonauts floated outside the International Space Station early Wednesday to wrap up preparations for detaching the two-decades-old Pirs airlock and docking compartment next month, clearing the way for the long-planned arrival of a new laboratory module.
Oleg Novitskiy and Pyotr Dubrov, opened the hatch of the Poisk module at 1:53 a.m. EDT to officially kick off the 238th spacewalk devoted to station assembly and maintenance, the sixth excursion so far this year and the first for both cosmonauts.
Source: https://spaceflightnow.com/2021/06/02/spacewalkers-prepare-space-stations-russian-pirs-docking-compartment-for-disposal/
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Spacewalkers run out of time before unrolling new space station solar array
June 16, 2021 William Harwood STORY WRITTEN FOR CBS NEWS & USED WITH PERMISSION [SFN]
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European Space Agency astronaut Thomas Pesquet works with the iROSA solar arrays during Wednesday’s spacewalk. Credit: NASA TV/Spaceflight Now
Two astronauts floated outside the International Space Station Wednesday and attached a rolled-up solar array, the first of six intended to boost the lab’s power back to factory fresh levels. But a spacesuit glitch and then an interference issue with the array mechanism prevented them from extending the new panel as planned.
European Space Agency astronaut Thomas Pesquet and NASA crewmate Shane Kimbrough already planned another spacewalk Sunday to install a second roll-out solar array, but it’s not yet known how the unfinished work Wednesday might play into that timeline.
Source: https://spaceflightnow.com/2021/06/16/us-eva-74/
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Spacewalkers unfurl first of six new space station solar arrays
June 20, 2021 Stephen Clark [SFN]
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Astronauts Thomas Pesquet and Shane Kimbrough, at left, work with the ISS Roll-Out Solar Array during a spacewalk Sunday. Credit: Oleg Novitskiy/Roscosmos
Astronauts Thomas Pesquet and Shane Kimbrough floated outside the International Space Station Sunday to deploy and unroll a new solar array blanket after encountering spacesuit glitches and an interference issue during a previous excursion Wednesday.
Pesquet and Kimbrough switched their spacesuits to battery power at 7:42 a.m. EDT (1142 GMT) Sunday to begin a planned six-and-a-half hour spacewalk.
Source: https://spaceflightnow.com/2021/06/20/us-eva-75/
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Spacewalking astronauts install second upgraded solar array
June 25, 2021 William Harwood [SFN]
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Thomas Pesquet moves the new solar array to the P6 truss for installation. Image: NASA TV/Spaceflight Now.
French astronaut Thomas Pesquet and NASA crewmate Shane Kimbrough floated back outside the International Space Station Friday and deployed a 60-foot-long roll-out solar array, the second of six new blankets being installed to upgrade the lab’s power system and offset age-related degradation.
“It looks like the deployment is complete,” Pesquet radioed, watching the array unroll itself six hours after the spacewalk began. “The motion has stopped.”
After adjusting the tension on the new array, the astronauts collected their tools and made their way back to the space station’s Quest airlock, wrapping up a six-hour 45-minute excursion.
Source: https://spaceflightnow.com/2021/06/25/spacewalking-astronauts-install-second-upgraded-solar-array/
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Russian spacewalkers begin outfitting new lab module
September 3, 2021 Stephen Clark [SFN]
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Cosmonaut Oleg Novitskiy works outside the International Space Station to electrically connect a new Russian laboratory module to the outpost. This shot was captured by a helmet camera used by crewmate Pyotr Dubrov. Credit: NASA TV
Two Russian spacewalkers connected a new laboratory module to the International Space Station’s power grid Friday, routing and plugging in eight cables to tap into electricity generated by NASA’s solar power system.
Oleg Novitskiy and Pyotr Dubrov ran about an hour behind schedule getting two bundles of cables hooked up between the newly-arrived Nauka lab module and the U.S. segment of the station, prompting Russian flight controllers to defer a few lower-priority tasks.
Source: https://spaceflightnow.com/2021/09/03/russian-spacewalkers-begin-outfitting-new-lab-module/
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Russian cosmonauts conduct spacewalk despite smoke, alarm on space station
By Ashley Strickland, CNN Updated 2224 GMT (0624 HKT) September 9, 2021 [CNN]
(CNN) Russian cosmonauts Oleg Novitskiy and Pyotr Dubrov conducted their second spacewalk in less than a week as they continue configurations for the new Nauka module for operations on the International Space Station.
The spacewalk began Thursday at 10:51 a.m. and ended at 6:16 p.m. ET, lasting for seven hours and 25 minutes.
Source: https://edition.cnn.com/2021/09/09/world/russian-spacewalk-nauka-september-scn/index.html
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Spacewalking astronauts continue solar array upgrade work
September 12, 2021 William Harwood, EDITOR’S NOTE: Updated after end of EVA. [SFN]
STORY WRITTEN FOR CBS NEWS & USED WITH PERMISSION
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Japanese astronaut Akihiko Hoshide works with a spacesuit inside the International Space Station in August. Credit: NASA
Three days after a Russian spacewalk, Japanese space station commander Akihiko Hoshide and Frenchman Thomas Pesquet floated outside for their own excursion Sunday, building a support fixture for a roll-out solar array blanket that will be attached later.
Source: https://spaceflightnow.com/2021/09/12/iss-us-eva-77/
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NASA postpones ISS spacewalk because of debris
by Jeff Foust — November 30, 2021 [SN]
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NASA postponed a Nov. 30 spacewalk outside the International Space Station just hours before it was scheduled to begin, citing a notification of debris expected to pass close to the station. Credit: NASA
WASHINGTON — NASA postponed a spacewalk outside the International Space Station by two astronauts just hours before it was scheduled to start after getting a warning that debris would pass close to the station.
In a brief statement issued early Nov. 30, NASA said a “debris notification” it received on the evening of Nov. 29 led the agency to postpone the spacewalk by astronauts Tom Marshburn and Kayla Barron, which had been scheduled to start at about 7:10 a.m. Eastern. The two had planned to replace an S-band antenna on the station’s truss that recently lost the ability to transmit data.
Source: https://spacenews.com/nasa-postpones-iss-spacewalk-because-of-debris/
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Spacewalkers replace faulty antenna outside space station
December 2, 2021 William Harwood [SFN]
EDITOR’S NOTE: Updated at 2 p.m. EST (1900 GMT) after end of spacewalk.
STORY WRITTEN FOR CBS NEWS & USED WITH PERMISSION
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NASA astronaut Tom Marshburn, wearing a spacesuit and mounted on the end of the space station’s robotic arm, works with a replacement S-band antenna on the lab’s port-side truss Thursday. Credit: NASA TV / Spaceflight Now
Running two days late because of concerns about possibly threatening space debris, a veteran astronaut and a rookie crewmate floated outside the International Space Station Thursday and replaced a faulty antenna in a problem-free 6.5-hour spacewalk.
Source: https://spaceflightnow.com/2021/12/02/us-eva-78/
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Najlepiej widoczne nowe baterie IROSA zamontowane w czasie dwóch spacerów w 2021:
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Spacewalking cosmonauts activate space station’s newest Russian module
January 19, 2022 Stephen Clark [SFN]
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Cosmonauts Anton Shkaplerov and Pyotr Dubrov work outside the Prichal module Wednesday. Credit: NASA/Mark Vande Hei
Russian cosmonauts Anton Shkaplerov and Pyotr Dubrov completed a 7-hour, 11-minute spacewalk Wednesday outside the International Space Station, preparing Russia’s new Prichal module for the arrival of the next Soyuz crew spacecraft in March.
Wearing Orlan spacesuits, Shkaplerov and Dubrov began their spacewalk at 7:17 a.m. EST (1217 GMT) Wednesday and exited the space station through the hatch of the Russian Poisk airlock.
Source: https://spaceflightnow.com/2022/01/19/spacewalking-cosmonauts-activate-space-stations-newest-russian-module/
Astronauts prep for new solar arrays on nearly seven-hour spacewalk
March 15, 2022 Stephen Clark [SFN]
(https://spaceflightnow.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/eva79-helmetcam.jpg)
Astronaut Kayla Barron is seen on a spacewalk Tuesday through the helmet-mounted camera of astronaut Raja Chari. Credit: NASA TV / Spaceflight Now
Astronauts Kayla Barron and Raja Chari floated out of the International Space Station airlock for a spacewalk Tuesday, installing brackets and struts to support new solar arrays to upgrade the research lab’s power system on the same day that crewmate Mark Vande Hei marked his 341st day in orbit, a U.S. record for a single spaceflight.
Source: https://spaceflightnow.com/2022/03/15/iss-us-eva-79/
Astronauts complete spacewalk for space station maintenance and upgrades
March 23, 2022 William Harwood EDITOR’S NOTE: Updated at 5:30 p.m. EDT (2130 GMT) after end of spacewalk. [SFN]
STORY WRITTEN FOR CBS NEWS & USED WITH PERMISSION
(https://spaceflightnow.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/eva80-1.jpg)
German astronaut Matthias Maurer outside the International Space Station on a spacewalk Wednesday. Credit: NASA TV / Spaceflight Now
Two astronauts floated outside the International Space Station Wednesday and installed refurbished ammonia jumpers in the lab’s cooling system to bring it back up to full efficiency, replaced a high-definition camera and made power and data connections on a European experiment platform.
Source: https://spaceflightnow.com/2022/03/23/us-eva-80/
Russian cosmonauts complete spacewalk to begin activating European robotic arm
April 18, 2022 Stephen Clark EDITOR’S NOTE: Updated after end of spacewalk. [SFN]
(https://spaceflightnow.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/blog_russian_eva52_041822d.jpg)
Cosmonauts Oleg Artemyev (in the suit with red stripes) and Denis Matveev (with blue stripes) outside the Nauka module at the International Space Station. Credit: NASA
Two Russian cosmonauts put on their Orlan spacesuits and headed outside the International Space Station Monday for a spacewalk to begin outfitting a European robotic arm mounted on a Russian science module launched last year, a collaboration that’s been unaffected by souring international relations on Earth.
Cosmonauts Oleg Artemyev and Denis Matveev opened the hatch to the Poisk airlock module at 11 a.m. EDT (1500 GMT) Monday.
The spacewalk was the third in Artemyev’s cosmonaut career, and the first for Matveev. Artemyev, Matveev, and crewmate Sergey Korsakov arrived at the space station last month on a Soyuz spacecraft.
Up to seven spacewalks are planned for their six-month expedition, including work to activate and check out the European Robotic Arm. The arm is a 37-foot-long (11.3-meter) crane-like structure to assist with the movement of external payloads and help astronauts with spacewalks. (...)
The European Robotic Arm can walk across the Russian segment of the space station. ESA says it’s capable of carrying a load of more than 17,000 pounds, or 8 metric tons, with a precision of one-fifth of an inch (5 millimeters).
(https://spaceflightnow.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/European_Robotic_Arm_specs_pillars.jpg)
This infographic shows details of the European Robotic Arm. Credit: European Space Agency
A communications problem between a computer on the Russian Zvezda service module and the European Robotic Arm delayed commissioning of the arm after arriving at the space station. (...)
https://spaceflightnow.com/2022/04/18/russian-eva-52/
Cosmonauts activate European Robotic Arm on 250th space station spacewalk
April 28, 2022 Stephen Clark [SFN]
(https://spaceflightnow.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/era_eva53.jpg)
The European Robotic Arm during activation Thursday. Credit: NASA TV / Spaceflight Now
Two Russian cosmonauts unlocked the European Robotic Arm from its launch moorings on a spacewalk Thursday, allowing the manipulator to move around outside the International Space Station for the first time.
Wearing Russian Orlan space suits, the cosmonauts opened the hatch to the Poisk airlock at 10:58 a.m. EDT (1458 GMT), marking the official start of the spacewalk. (...)
Artemyev and Matveev also briefly unfurled a flag commemorating Russia’s Victory Day celebrating the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II.
The spacewalkers ran out of time before the day’s final planned movement of the robotic arm, which would have maneuvered one of the arm’s hands to a third base point — a so-called “double walkoff.”
The cosmonauts returned to the airlock and closed the hatch at 6:40 p.m. EDT (2240 GMT), wrapping up a 7-hour, 52-minute spacewalk. (...)
The excursion Thursday was the 250th spacewalk since 1998 in support of space station assembly and maintenance. (...)
https://spaceflightnow.com/2022/04/28/russian-eva-53/
NASA puts ISS spacewalks on hold to investigate water leak
by Jeff Foust — May 18, 2022 [SN]
(https://spacenews.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/maurer-eva.jpg)
ESA astronaut Matthias Maurer during a March 23 spacewalk, at the end of which he reported water pooling on the visor of his spacesuit helmet. Credit: NASA
WASHINGTON — NASA is continuing to investigate water that leaked into a spacesuit helmet during a spacewalk earlier this year and is holding off on future spacewalks until engineers can resolve the problem.
The leak took place during the most recent spacewalk from the U.S. segment of the station March 23, involving NASA astronaut Raja Chari and European Space Agency astronaut Matthias Maurer. At the end of the nearly seven-hour spacewalk, Maurer reported that water had pooled on his visor, although the thin layer of water, about 20 to 25 centimeters across, did not pose an immediate threat to him.
https://spacenews.com/nasa-puts-iss-spacewalks-on-hold-to-investigate-water-leak/
ISS spacesuits ‘no-go’ for non-emergency spacewalks after water intrusion
May 17, 2022 William Harwood STORY WRITTEN FOR CBS NEWS & USED WITH PERMISSION [SFN]
(https://spaceflightnow.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/maurer_emu_23march.jpg)
European Space Agency astronaut Matthias Maurer on a spacewalk March 23 outside the International Space Station. Credit: NASA
The aging shuttle-era spacesuits aboard the International Space Station have been declared “no-go” for operational, normally planned spacewalks pending analysis to determine what led to excess water getting into an astronaut’s helmet during a March excursion, officials confirmed Tuesday.
https://spaceflightnow.com/2022/05/17/iss-spacesuits-no-go-for-non-emergency-spacewalks-after-water-intrusion/
Russian cosmonaut, European astronaut complete joint spacewalk
July 21, 2022 Stephen Clark [SFN]
(https://spaceflightnow.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/20220721eva1.jpg)
European Space Agency astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti works with one of 10 radio tech demo satellites deployed during Thursday’s spacewalk. Credit: NASA TV / Spaceflight Now
Russian cosmonaut Oleg Artemyev and European astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti headed outside the International Space Station on a rare joint spacewalk Thursday. They continued outfitting a European robotic arm and deployed 10 nanosatellites for radio technology experiments.
Artemyev and Cristoforetti opened the hatch to the space station’s Poisk airlock at 10:50 a.m. EDT (1450 GMT) Thursday, marking the official start of the spacewalk.
https://spaceflightnow.com/2022/07/21/russian-esa-iss-eva/
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4. kobiecy spacer kosmiczny.
Moghbeli zgubiła torbę z narzędziami, co czyni z niej drugi znany przypadek zagubienia torby narzędziowej w kosmosie przez kobietę.
Mixed results for spacewalkers after time lost dealing with difficult-to-loosen bolts (https://www.forum.kosmonauta.net/index.php?topic=5194.msg187577#msg187577)
November 1, 2023 William Harwood [SFN]
(https://spaceflightnow.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/20231101-EVA.jpg)
Jasmin Moghbeli, wearing a spacesuit with red stripes, works with Loral O’Hara to secure insulation around a failed radio communications unit during the fourth all-female spacewalk. Image: NASA TV.
Astronauts Jasmin Moghbeli and Loral O’Hara worked outside the International Space Station Wednesday to replace a bearing assembly in one of the lab’s solar array rotation mechanisms. But the task took longer than expected and they were unable to retrieve a failed electronics box as planned.
https://spaceflightnow.com/2023/11/01/mixed-results-for-spacewalkers-after-time-lost-dealing-with-difficult-to-loosen-bolts/
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Spacewalk terminated due to spacesuit water leak (https://www.forum.kosmonauta.net/index.php?topic=5413.msg188903#msg188903)
January 15, 2016 William Harwood STORY WRITTEN FOR CBS NEWS & USED WITH PERMISSION
(https://spaceflightnow.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/CYyn4r_UkAEBHTQ.jpg-large.jpeg)
Astronaut Tim Peake is seen outside the International Space Station during Friday’s spacewalk.
Flight controllers ordered two astronauts to terminate a spacewalk outside the International Space Station Friday after one of them reported a small amount of water leaking into his space helmet. While not nearly as dangerous as a 2013 helmet leak that threatened to drown an Italian spacewalker, flight controllers took no chances, ordering both men back to the station’s airlock.
https://spaceflightnow.com/2016/01/15/spacewalk-terminated-due-to-spacesuit-water-leak/
Station astronauts complete second battery swap spacewalk (https://www.forum.kosmonauta.net/index.php?topic=5413.msg189019#msg189019)
January 13, 2017 William Harwood STORY WRITTEN FOR CBS NEWS & USED WITH PERMISSION [SFN]
(https://spaceflightnow.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/011317_eva.jpg)
Shane Kimbrough, left, maneuvers a battery adapter plate into position at the base of a space station solar array while Thomas Pesquet holds an aging nickel-hydrogen battery that later was mounted atop the plate. Credit: NASA TV
Two space station astronauts carried out a trouble-free five-hour 58-minute spacewalk Friday, completing complex battery replacement work on the right side of the lab’s solar power truss with enough time left over to carry out a variety of lower-priority “get-ahead” tasks.
The International Space Station relies on four huge sets of solar arrays that rotate to track the sun. Each set is equipped with 12 nickel-hydrogen batteries that store power for use when the station is in Earth’s shadow. All 48 NiH2 batteries will be replaced over the next few years with 24 smaller but more powerful lithium-ion batteries.
https://spaceflightnow.com/2017/01/13/station-astronauts-complete-second-battery-swap-spacewalk/
ISS Crew open 2011 spacewalk marathon with 27th Russian EVA (https://www.forum.kosmonauta.net/index.php?topic=5413.msg189050#msg189050)
written by Pete Harding January 21, 2011 [NSF]
(https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/A91.jpg)
The International Space Station (ISS) Expedition 26 crew have conducted the Russian EVA-27 on Friday, marking the first in what is currently planned to be a total of 10 Shuttle and ISS EVAs in 2011. Projected to be a six hour EVA, the spacewalk began with hatch opening at 2:29 PM GMT and ended well ahead of schedule at 7:52 PM GMT – after the duo completed all their tasks without any serious issues.
https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2011/01/iss-crew-2011-spacewalk-marathon-27th-russian-eva/
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Cosmonauts conduct spacewalk (https://www.forum.kosmonauta.net/index.php?topic=5673.msg190838#msg190838)
On April 25, 2024, members of Expedition 71 Oleg Kononenko and Nikolai Chub performed the VKD-62 spacewalk from the Russian Segment of the International Space Station, ISS.
(https://russianspaceweb.com/images/spacecraft/manned/space_stations/iss/vkd62/vkd62_radar_1.jpg)
The VKD-62 spacewalk, staged from the Poisk module, MIM2, was originally expected to last more than 6.5 hours with the main goal of completing the deployment of the Rakurs synthetic remote-sensing radar for the Napor-miniRSA experiment on the exterior of the Nauka module, MLM. The four-section radar panel was installed during the VKD-61 spacewalk in October 2023, but one of its sections failed to lock in opened position.
https://russianspaceweb.com/iss_vkd62.html
‘Arctic Blast’ of Leaky Water Halts Spacewalk by NASA Astronauts (https://www.forum.kosmonauta.net/index.php?topic=5673.msg192246#msg192246)
By Kenneth Chang June 24, 2024
It was the second scheduled spacewalk by NASA astronauts aboard the space station that faced an interruption this month.
Spacewalk Canceled After Spacesuit Coolant Leak
NASA canceled a spacewalk at the International Space Station Monday following a water leak, which started shortly after Tracy Dyson started to use the internal battery power of her spacesuit.
“Oh wow.” “Flowing out of my — S.C.U. guys. “Yeah, there’s a lot of particulates flowing around here.” “Yes we — we turned them off with the U.I.A.” “And you can reconnect your S.C.U. to your D.C.M. and we’ll take a look at that.” “It’s a lot of water flowing.” “Is it still coming out? “If —” “I don’t, I don’t think we can do it.” “Yeah — there’s water everywhere here.” “OK, let’s get your S.C.U. reconnected to your D.C.M.” “Yeah, there’s literally water everywhere here now.” “You’ve heard quite a bit of communication between the crew and the team here in Mission Control, Houston. The spacewalk for today has been canceled due to a spacesuit cooling unit water leak that began right after the suits were put on internal battery power. The crew is now moving back into the airlock, and closing that E.V. hatch and they will begin the repressurization process. After opening the hatch between the equipment lock and the crew lock, NASA astronaut Matt Dominick went into the crew lock portion where NASA astronauts Tracy Dyson and Mike Barratt are just to inspect the crew lock for any water particles. Matt Dominick and Jeanette Epps, currently on your screen, will now work to move Tracy Dyson and Mike Barratt back into the equipment lock.”
A spacewalk by two NASA astronauts at the International Space Station ended almost as soon as it began on Monday morning when water started squirting from one of the spacesuits into the airlock.
“There’s water everywhere,” Tracy Dyson, one of the astronauts, reported to mission control.
That was a couple of minutes after she and Mike Barratt, the other astronaut taking part in the spacewalk, had switched their spacesuits to battery power, which marked the start of the spacewalk at 8:46 a.m. Eastern time.
“I got an arctic blast all over my visor,” Ms. Dyson reported.
She wiped away a layer of ice, allowing her to see that ice crystals were coming from a service-and-cooling umbilical unit that connected to her spacesuit. The connections provide power, oxygen and water while astronauts are in the airlock. The leak started when Ms. Dyson disconnected the unit.
“I could see the ice crystals flowing out there,” Ms. Dyson said. “Just like a snow cone machine, there was ice forming at that port.”
Space station controllers in Houston then called off the spacewalk. NASA said the astronauts were never in any danger.
The shortened spacewalk was the latest in a series of glitches that NASA has experienced this month. Other issues have included an earlier postponed spacewalk and delays in returning a pair of astronauts to Earth aboard a Boeing space capsule, known as Starliner, which is on its first trip to the space station with astronauts aboard.
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/06/24/science/nasa-astronauts-spacewalk-water-leak.html
12:45 PM · Jun 24, 2024
US EVA-90: Astronauts Tracy Dyson and Mike Barratt are suited up in the space station's Quest airlock, preparing to float outside on a spacewalk to retrieve an S-band radio component that's defied two earlier attempt to unbolt it from an external stowage platform; EVA-90 was expected to begin around 8am EDT (1200 UTC), but preps are running about a half hour behind schedule
US EVA-90: This will be the 271st spacewalk in ISS history, the 2nd so far this year, the 4th for Dyson, who logged 22 hours 49 minutes outside the ISS during 3 EVAs in 2010, and the 3rd for Barratt. He joined a Russian cosmonaut for a 4-hour 54-minute spacewalk in 2009 followed by a short 12-minute EVA inside the Russian segment of the space station to replace a hatch with a docking cone.
US EVA-90: Dyson and astronaut Matthew Dominick originally planned to carry out this spacewalk, EVA-90, on June 13, but the excursion was called off after Dominick reported a "discomfort issue" with his spacesuit. No details were provided. Dyson and Barratt were already penciled in for a follow-on spacewalk, and NASA managers decided to keep that same lineup for today's do-over
US EVA-90: Today's excursion has the same 3 objectives: to retrieve the radio frequency group hardware so it can be returned to Earth, repaired and relaunched; to swab targeted ares of the station's hull near vents and the Quest airlock's hatch to find out if any microorganisms have managed to get outside and survive in the harsh environment of space; and to make initial preparations for eventually installing a spare joint in the lab's robot arm
US EVA-90: Dyson and Barratt are now in the outer section of the Quest airlock module; the inner hatch was closed at ~8am EDT (1200 UTC), clearing the way for a 30-minute depressurization sequence; the spacewalk will officially begin when the crew switches their spacesuits to battery power
(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/GQ1lA14W0AA430R?format=jpg&name=large)
US EVA-90: With the Quest airlock down to vacuum and the outer hatch open, Dyson and Barratt switched their spacesuits to battery power ~845am EDT (1245 UTC) but a moment later, Dyson reported "water everywhere," apparently coming from an airlock fitting; the astronauts have reconnected their suits to station power; not yet clear what the problem is but today's spacewalk has been called off
US EVA-90: NASA's spacewalk commentator in mission control at the Johnson Space Center: "The spacewalk for today has been cancelled due to a spacesuit cooling unit water loop leak that began right after the suits were put on internal battery power. The crew is now moving back into the (inner) airlock and closing that EV hatch. Then they will begin the repressurization process"
US EVA-90: Dyson and Barratt are still in the outer section of the Quest airlock; the outer hatch has been closed and both astronauts are now re-connected to space station power, air and water; that stopped the water leakage from Dyson's suit; the crew does not appear to be in any danger; engineers are troubleshooting; Dyson tells mission control "it's a little snowy in here, but not as bad as it was. ... I have ice on my gloves still and on my helmet a little bit"
3:17 PM · Jun 24, 2024
US EVA-90: As it turns out, Dyson is going to stay on spacesuit battery power; she said the water leak sprayed the connectors where the umbilical attaches and she expressed concern about plugging in station power; flight controllers said they didn't think there would be any problem, but agreed she could just stay on battery power; the crew is pressing ahead with airlock repressurization
US EVA-90: Dyson and Barratt are back inside the inner compartment of the Quest module; astronauts Matthew Dominick and Jeanette Epps are helping them out of their spacesuits while Starliner commander Butch Wilmore takes pictures of suit components as they are taken off
US EVA-90: NASA says today's spacewalk lasted 31 minutes; that's the time between the switch to battery power and the moment the crew reconnected to station power; Barratt still holds the record for the shortest EVA, 12 minutes in vacuum inside the Russian segment of the station in 2009 when he and Gennady Padalka installed a docking cone in place of a hatch
https://x.com/cbs_spacenews/status/1805243652261777508
US EVA-90: Dyson and Barratt are now out of their spacesuits and NASA has ended its realtime coverage of EVA-90
https://x.com/cbs_spacenews
Russian cosmonauts install X-ray detector, jettison trash on spacewalk outside ISS (https://www.forum.kosmonauta.net/index.php?topic=5673.msg195588#msg195588)
By Robert Z. Pearlman published DEC 20, 2024
Expedition 72 crewmates Alexey Ovchinin and Ivan Vagner completed the last planned spacewalk of 2024 today (Dec. 19)
(https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/v2/t:0,l:0,cw:0,ch:0,q:80,w:650/pb26cxkBhNpYL8xXwLajnS.jpg.webp)
A Russian cosmonaut releases a bundle of trash during a spacewalk outside the International Space Station on Dec. 19, 2024. (Image credit: NASA+)
A Russian cosmonaut took a short ride at the end of a robotic arm to jettison spent equipment that he and a crewmate collected during a spacewalk outside the International Space Station today (Dec. 19).
Expedition 72 flight engineer Alexey Ovchinin secured his feet at one end of the European Robotic Arm (ERA) toward the end of his and Ivan Vagner's seven-hour extravehicular activity (EVA) today. Fellow Roscosmos cosmonaut Alexsandr Gorbunov controlled the 37-foot-long (11.3 meters) arm's movement from inside the space station. (...)
https://www.space.com/space-exploration/international-space-station/russian-cosmonauts-install-x-ray-detector-jettison-trash-on-spacewalk-outside-iss
Cosmonauts conduct VKD-63 spacewalk
(https://www.russianspaceweb.com/images/spacecraft/manned/space_stations/iss/eva/vkd63/vkd63_ovchinin_bundle_release_1.jpg)
On Dec. 19. 2024, two members of the 72nd expedition aboard the International Space Station, ISS, Aleksei Ovchinin and Ivan Vagner, spent more than seven hours on the exterior of the Russian ISS Segment installing an X-ray instrument for astrophysics research and completing a number of secondary tasks which were concluded with Ovchinin's ride on the European Robotic Arm, ERA, to discard used hardware. One objective of relocating ERA's control panel was deffered to future spacewalks, because the cosmonauts fell behind schedule. (...)
https://www.russianspaceweb.com/iss-vkd63.html
Dec 19, 2024 at 16:46
RS EVA 63: ISS cosmonauts Alexey Ovchinin and Ivan Vagner opened the side hatch of the Poisk airlock compartment at 10:36am EST, officially kicking off a planned 6.5-hour spacewalk. This is the 3rd ISS excursion this year and the 2nd by Russian cosmonauts.
https://app.bsky.cz/profile/rocketksc.bsky.social/post/3ldo7rih5qc2s
RS EVA 63: For ID, Ovchinin, call sign EV-1, is wearing a Russian Orlan spacesuit with red stripes; Vagner, EV-2, is wearing a suit with blue stripes. This is the 2nd spacewalk for Ovchinin and the 1st for Vagner, who is the 269th person to walk in space (he can be seen in screengrab below)
(https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_fullsize/plain/did:plc:5relxeusk3zyis5yv3iofyg7/bafkreidetzihlivr3lmqp7tkam7wtty65ydruimlp54thkfiekqjajrrpe@jpeg)
RS EVA 63: The goals of today's EVA are to install an all-sky X-ray instrument, to retrieve a variety of space exposure experiments, to relocate an external control panel allowing spacewalkers to operate a European-built robot arm and to jettison no-longer needed equipment.
RS EVA 63 (00:27 ET; 11:03am EST; 1603 UTC): Ovchinin and Vagner are outside Poisk, gathering tools and checking tethers before getting to work; in the meantime... spectacular views!
(https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_fullsize/plain/did:plc:5relxeusk3zyis5yv3iofyg7/bafkreigmj5qjxy4wvit4noum5ftt7yllpig57twvvigtv6mbrlbcvewhse@jpeg)
RS EVA 63 (01:32 ET; 12:08pm EST; 1708 UTC): Ovchinin and Vagner are installing an all-sky X-ray monitor on the aft Zvezda module; once this work is done, the cosmonauts will press ahead with removal of a variety of materials science and biological space exposure experiments
RS EVA 63 (01:52 ET; 12:28pm EST; 1728 UTC): Before removing the space exposure experiments, the cosmonauts are disconnecting a no-longer-needed electrical patch panel that will be jettisoned later in the spacewalk
Russian EVA 63 (03:00 ET; 1:36pm EST; 1836 UTC): After removing older electrical patch panels on the Zvezda module, Ovchinin and Vagner are wrapping up work to attach cables to newly installed panels; retrieval of the space exposure experiments is expected shortly
Russian EVA 63 (05:36 ET; 4:12pm EST; 2112 UTC): Ovchinin has climbed on the end of the European robot arm so crewmate Alexander Gorbunov, operating the arm inside the ISS, can move him into place to jettison no-longer-needed items removed from the Russian segment of the lab earlier today.
Russian EVA 63 (05:36 ET; 4:12pm EST; 2112 UTC): Ovchinin is the first cosmonaut to "ride" the arm since the appendage was launched in 2021. Ovchinin and fellow spacewalker Ivan Vagner originally planned to relocate an external control panel for the arm, but that task was deferred to a later EVA.
RS EVA 63 (05:40 ET; 04:16pm EST; 2116 UTC): Spectacular shots of Ovchinin on the end of the European arm and a look through the cosmonaut's helmet camera:
(https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_fullsize/plain/did:plc:5relxeusk3zyis5yv3iofyg7/bafkreig4iwnluac44cijd6bweol35fumcloj5zmr2vokcp2xlpc53fmcjq@jpeg)
RS EVA 63 (06:17 ET; 04:53pm EST; 2153 UTC): Ovchinin jettisoned the bundle of no-longer-needed equipment with no issues; that was the final major task for today's spacewalk; the cosmonauts will now gather up tools and tethers and make their way back to the Poisk airlock compartment
(https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_fullsize/plain/did:plc:5relxeusk3zyis5yv3iofyg7/bafkreiermdpeaxdoxlytjb3fvnsccuzxgzls3o4tnwwax27vkr7kb7b6om@jpeg)
(https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_fullsize/plain/did:plc:5relxeusk3zyis5yv3iofyg7/bafkreicthisa6xrczqjqynnw5tcv3jy26kqr566nj77yx6v5fueuatdsce@jpeg)
Russian EVA 63: Cosmonauts Aleksey Ovchinin and Ivan Vagner closed the hatch of the Poisk airlock compartment at 5:53pm EST (2253 UTC), officially bringing today's spacewalk to an end after seven hours and 17 minutes (apologies for the delayed post). (1/2)
Russian EVA 63: This was the 272nd ISS spacewalk, the 3rd so far this year, the 2nd for Ovchinin and the 1st for Vagner. Total ISS EVA time now stands at 1,723 hours and 13 minutes, or 71 days 19 hours and 13 minutes; Ovchinin has now logged 13h 18m outside the station in his 2 EVAs (2/2)
Michal Vaclavik @Kosmo_Michal 9:14 AM · Dec 20, 2024
(1/9) Ruští kosmonauti Alexej Ovčinin (Orlan MKS č. 5 s červenými rozlišovacími pruhy) a Ivan Vagner (Orlan MKS č. 4 s modrými rozlišovacími pruhy) včera uskutečnili poslední letošní výstup VKD-63 do volného kosmického prostoru z paluby Mezinárodní kosmické stanice ISS.
(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/GfOjACjWMAA3cf0?format=jpg&name=4096x4096)
(2/9) Výstup začal v 16:35:53 SEČ a kosmonauti nainstalovali na modul Zvezda spektrometr SPIN-CH1-MVN, který v srpnu letošního roku přivezl Progress MS-28. Přístroj sestává ze samotného rentgenového spektrometru o hmotnosti 51 kg a z bloku obslužné elektroniky o hmotnosti 3,2 kg.
(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/GfOjJNqXkAAzXpX?format=jpg&name=4096x4096)
(3/9) Spektrometr SPIN-CH1-MVN bude pracovat v tvrdé oblasti rentgenového záření (v rozsahu energií od 10 do 70 keV). Zaměří se zejména na celooblohové sledování kosmického rentgenového pozadí. Za 72 dní provozu zmapuje cca 84 % celé oblohy (více není možné).
(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/GfOjOElXwAAIO8D?format=png&name=900x900)(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/GfOjPccWsAAT1OQ?format=png&name=900x900)
(4/9) Za dobu fungování na ISS (3 roky) má proběhnout celkem 15 takových přehlídkových pozorování. Spektrometr má čtyři kanály, každý s vlastním CdTe detektorem o velikosti 32 px. Apertury jednotlivých kanálů jsou periodicky zakrývány pro měření pozadí detektorů.
(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/GfOjXGOWAAEMukQ?format=png&name=medium)(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/GfOjYQIWcAAzfm-?format=jpg&name=medium)
(5/9) Zorné pole spektrometru SPIN-CH1-MVN je 3,2° a pokud bude fungovat správně doplní pozorování provedena velkými kosmickými observatořemi jako je Integral, Swift, HEAO-1 apod. Po jeho instalaci se kosmonauti Ovčinin a Vagner přesunuli k jiným úkolům.
(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/GfOjcOuX0AAzGXJ?format=jpg&name=large)
(6/9) Na modulu Poisk odebrali dvě expoziční kazety experimentu Test, jehož cílem bylo ověřit vliv kosmického prostředí a dopadů mikroskopických úlomků kosmické tříště na pevnost různých konstrukčních materiálů. Odebrali dále dvě palety experimentu Vynoslivosť.
(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/GfOjmmqWcAALXPn?format=jpg&name=4096x4096)
(7/9) I jeho úkolem bylo studium vlivu kosmického prostředí na vlastnosti materiálů. Oba experimenty byly na modul Poisk instalovány při výstupu do volné kosmického prostoru 2. června 2021. Vystaveny nehostinnému kosmickému prostředí tak byly 1296 dní.
(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/GfOkZqpWEAAMW_b?format=jpg&name=4096x4096)
(8/9) Z modulu Poisk kosmonauti Ovčinin a Dubrov demontovali aparaturu Indikator-MKS experimentu Kontroľ. Ten od roku 2013 měřil vlastnosti zbytků atmosféry v okolí Mezinárodní kosmické stanice ISS. Tato aparatura byla společně s dalšími starými díly zahozena.
(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/GfOkuSPWsAAX-gk?format=jpg&name=4096x4096)
(9/9) O to se postaral Alexej Ovčinin na konci výstupu. Ten skončil ve 23:53:40 a trval tak celkem 7 hodin, 17 minut a 47 sekund. Pro nedostatek času se neuskutečnilo přesunutá řídícího panelu manipulátoru ERA na modulu MLM-U Nauka.
(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/GfOlTAMWcAATGVH?format=jpg&name=4096x4096)
https://x.com/Kosmo_Michal/status/1870020065480827283