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Two NASA astronauts completed the second in a pair of spacewalks today (February 1), setting up a European science platform and completing a long series of battery replacements outside the International space station.
Today’s spacewalk, which began at 7:56 a.m. EST (12:56 p.m. GMT), was the 234th spacewalk, or extravehicular activity (EVA), in support of the assembly, maintenance and upgrades of the space station, according to NASA. The 233rd spacewalk took place a few days earlier, on January 27.
This spacewalk was led by NASA astronaut Victor Glover and NASA astronaut Mike Hopkins. This marked Glover’s second spacewalk and Hopkin’s fourth spacewalk.
“Enjoying the view,” Hopkins said of the view of Earth from space during the spacewalk.
Related: The International Space Station: Inside and Out (infographic)
Glover and Hopkins had a variety of tasks to complete when they stepped out into space. After achieving their main goals – which included setting up a battery and adapter plate and installing three separate cameras – roughly four hours after what was scheduled to be a spacewalk by half past six the astronauts were able to finish a few. “activities” to move forward “.
“We got out a little late today but we made up for all that time,” Hopkins said during the spacewalk.
The pair were assisted by staff including NASA astronaut Kate Rubins and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Soichi Noguchi aboard the space station and NASA astronaut Bob Hines, which transmitted the next steps to space walkers from the ground.
Throughout the duration of the mission, Glover used the “call sign”, or nickname, of “Ike, Hopkins used the name” Hopper “and Hines went by” Farmer “.
First, after leaving the space station airlock, Glover and Hopkins installed the last lithium-ion battery and adapter plate on the structure of port 4 (P4). The adapter plate completed the circuit of the battery system. This was the latest in a series of battery-wafer EVA activities that began in January 2017 to replace old nickel-hydrogen batteries with new lithium-ion batteries. Hopkins installed a shovel, a handling aid, on top of the lithium-ion battery to aid in the installation.
“The last adapter plate installed on the @Space_Station. Today’s spacewalk will complete battery replacement work to replace the batteries for the 8 power channels used to carry electricity to the station . Improvements have been made during a series of spacewalks over the past 4 years, ” NASA tweeted on accomplishment.
✅ Final adapter plate installed on the @Space_Station. Today’s spacewalk will complete battery replacement work to replace the batteries for the 8 power channels used to deliver electricity to the station. Improvements have been made during a series of spacewalks over the past 4 years. pic.twitter.com/Gmg7TmPA0sFebruary 1, 2021
“1 hour after today’s spacewalk and we have confirmation that the last installed Li-ion battery has a good configuration. @AstroVicGlover and @Astro_Illini continue to work on their duties on the station, “NASA confirmed in another tweet.
The astronauts then drilled a bolt to secure the direct current switching unit (DCSU), which helps route power through the station’s battery system.
After the completion of this main task, Hopkins worked to remove the H-fixture, a grapple attachment bracket on the same beam as the battery that was once used for ground processing of solar panels and is no longer needed. . Hopkins loosened and removed four bolts using a tool on a retractable tie. These devices are needed for future power upgrades, NASA commentator Leah Cheshier noted during the agency’s broadcast.
Glover then began to replace a magenta-colored camera on the starboard beam; the camera’s color wheel was broken. To do this, Glover had to drive the station’s robotic arm, Canadarm2, into the area. The arm, which provides increased stability during the maneuver, was robotically controlled by Rubins from the space station.
To climb onto the arm to “mount” it on site, Glover had to attach and set up an articulated, portable footrest that would connect his feet to the arm. Prior to the maneuver, Hopkins performed a quick Helmet Absorption Pad (HAP) check to make sure nothing was leaking inside the suit.
Once in place on the arm, and with the help of Rubins inside the orbiting lab, Glover “flew” towards the camera site, with the blue hues of the Atlantic Ocean swirling below. Glover successfully replaced the broken camera on the starboard beam, the first of three cameras to be installed during the spacewalk. To do this, Glover used a pistol grip tool (PGT), which astronauts use to remove and install bolts during spacewalks.
Then, as the crew flew into night orbit, Hopkins and Glover moved to work on two more camera systems on the space station. The couple worked to install a new HD camera on the US Destiny lab module, then Hopkins worked to replace parts of the camera system on the remote handling system on the Japanese robotic arm.
Glover then moved out of the Canadarm2 footrest, jokingly saying, “I would fly with ‘Air Rubins’ at any time,” as Astronaut Rubins commanded the arm as he straddled it.
By this point, roughly four hours after the start of the spacewalk, the astronauts had completed all of the major tasks planned for the event and moved on to “moving forward” tasks, or objectives. additional that would otherwise be accomplished on a subsequent spacewalk.
During this final stretch of the spacewalk, Hopkins removed another H device and took photos of the outside of the space station to document its current condition. Glover prepared the foot restraint setup (which he previously used for the robotic arm ride) for a future spacewalk. Glover also removed and replaced an airlock magnet, a metal plate that helps keep the thermal blanket of the space station’s quest gasket closed.
Five hours and 20 minutes after their start, at 1:16 p.m. EST (6:16 p.m. GMT), the astronauts began to repressurize the airlock and the spacewalk was officially over.
“I just want to say thank you to everyone… Farmer and Vincent and everyone, well done… I think we had a very, very, good day… Thank you everyone,” Hopkins said at the end of the outing. ‘space.
After today’s spacewalk, the Expedition 64 astronauts will conduct two more sorties in the near future, according to NASA. Next, Glover and Rubins will prepare the space station’s power system for the installation of new solar panels, and during the spacewalk after that, Rubins and Noguchi will continue to upgrade components of the space station. , according to NASA. The exact dates for these spacewalks have yet to be set.
Today’s spacewalk coincides with the first day of Black History Month. Glover, who completed today’s spacewalk with Hopkins, is the first black astronaut to take part in a long-duration mission on the station, remaining for more than six months as part of Expedition 64 and Expedition 65. Glover, which launched to the space station on November 15, 2020, as part of the Crew-1 mission from SpaceX, is only the 15th black astronaut to reach space.
“It’s something to celebrate once we’ve accomplished it, and, you know, I’m honored to be in this position and to be a part of this great and experienced crew,” Glover said at a 2020 press conference before launching to the space station. “And I can’t wait to get there and do my best to make sure that, you know, we’re worthy of all the work that has been put in place to prepare for this mission.
This spacewalk also coincides with the anniversary of the loss of the STS-107, the space shuttle Columbia mission which on February 1, 2003 ended in tragedy, the shuttle broke on its way back to Earth, killing the seven astronauts on board: Rick Husband, Michael Anderson, David Brown, Kalpana Chawla, Laurel Clark, William McCool and Ilan Ramon. The crew made it to space, where they spent 16 days and performed around 80 experiments before attempting to return to Earth.
An investigation determined that during the launch a large piece of foam fell from the outer tank of the shuttle and struck the wing of the spacecraft. This damage caused the shuttle reentry to fail. This tragic event prompted NASA to take a close look at its safety protocols and internal workplace culture in order to prioritize the safety of future astronauts.
Email Chelsea Gohd at [email protected] or follow her on Twitter @chelsea_gohd. Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom and on Facebook.
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