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Spacewalking astronauts jostled the batteries outside the International Space Station on Friday as part of a major upgrade of the solar energy network.
Christina Koch and Nick Hague of NASA have successfully installed a new and stronger battery pack, continuing the replacement work begun a week ago.
It was not the team NASA envisioned. Koch was scheduled to go out with astronaut Anne McClain for the first outing in the all-female space. But the composition was changed because there were not two medium costumes available for women. After NASA caught fire on the switch, McClain explained that the decision was based on his recommendation.
Astronaut Christina Koch, NCSU graduate, takes off (+ read her biography, watch the video)
"The safety of the crew and the execution of the mission foremost," said McClain, an air force aviator via Twitter, this week.
[Koch was selected as an astronaut by NASA in 2013. She completed astronaut candidate training in July 2015. Koch, a native of Michigan, graduated from North Carolina State University with a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering and Physics and a Master of Science in Electrical Engineering.]
Koch – the 14th woman to make an exit in space – arrived at the space station two weeks ago with Hague. McClain, who became the 13th spacewalker last week, has been on board since December. More than 200 men walked in space.
The old nickel-hydrogen batteries of the space station are replaced by lithium-ion batteries, a long-term process spreading over several years. These batteries store the energy recovered by the solar wings and ensure the operation of the outpost when it is on the night side of the Earth. The big robot arm of the space station took advance care of the task, removing the old batteries and placing the news in the empty slots earlier this week.
In addition to connecting three new batteries, Koch and Hague disconnected one of three batteries installed last week due to higher voltage than expected. It will be replaced by two old type batteries until replacement batteries arrive. All the while, the astronauts even performed additional tasks before the end of their spacewalk, which lasted six and a half hours.
"We were all very impressed by the progress made today," Radio said to Mission Control. "You are top guys."
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McClain withdrew from Friday's spacewalk when she realized that the medium-sized suit she had used last week suited her best. she was supposed to go to a big one. Koch also takes a medium. Although another medium suit is available, it would have taken 12 hours to prepare it: NASA does not want to spend, given all the activity of the other stations.
"It's safer and faster to change space hiker assignments than to reconfigure space suits," NASA said via Twitter.
McClain, Koch and Hague are part of the NASA Astronaut category in 2013, the first to include an equal number of women and men.
A third outing in space is scheduled for April 8th. McClain will be going out with Canada's David Saint-Jacques.
The 250 km station is also home to two Russians.
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