Two NASA astronauts completed the second in a few spacewalks today (Feb. 1), installed a European science platform, and completed a long series of battery replacements outside of the International Space Station.
Today’s spacewalk, which began at 7:56 a.m. EST (1256 GMT), was the 234th spacewalk, or extravehicular activity (EVA), to support the assembly, maintenance and upgrades of the space station. according to NASA. The 233rd spacewalk took place just a few days earlier, on January 27.
This spacewalk was conducted by NASA astronaut Victor Glover and NASA astronaut Mike Hopkins. This was 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 to perform different tasks when they stepped into space. After completing their main objectives – which included configuring a battery and adapter plate and installing three separate cameras – about four hours after what was planned to be a six and a half hour spacewalk, the astronauts were able to do some complete “progressive” activities.
“We got out the door a little late today, but we’ve caught up all this time,” Hopkins said during the spacewalk.
The pair were assisted by personnel including NASA astronaut Kate Rubins and astronaut Soichi Noguchi of Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) aboard the space station, and NASA astronaut Bob Hines, who takes the next steps to the spacewalkers from the ground. brought.
Throughout the mission, Glover used the “call sign” or nickname of “Ike, Hopkins used the name” Hopper “and Hines used” Farmer “.
First, after leaving the space station’s airlock, Glover and Hopkins installed the final lithium-ion battery and adapter plate on port 4 (P4) truss. The adapter plate completed the circuit for the battery system. This was the last in a series of EVA battery delivery business that began in January 2017 to replace old nickel hydrogen batteries with new lithium ion batteries. Hopkins installed a scoop, a handling aid, on the lithium-ion battery to aid in installation.
“Last adapter plate installed on the @Space_Station. Today’s spacewalk will complete battery replacement to replace the batteries for 8 power channels used to route electricity to the station. Upgrades have been performed in a series of spacewalks over the past 4 years. , ” NASA tweeted about the performance.
✅ Last adapter plate installed on the @Space_Station. Today’s spacewalk will complete battery replacement to replace batteries for 8 power channels used to route electricity to the station. Upgrades have been performed on a series of spacewalks over the past 4 years. pic.twitter.com/Gmg7TmPA0sFebruary 1, 2021
“1 hour in 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 attach the DCSU (Direct Current Switching Unit), which helps direct power through the station’s battery system.
After the completion of this main job, Hopkins worked to remove the H fixture, a grabber fixture bracket on the same truss as the battery once used for solar panel ground processing and is no longer needed. Hopkins loosened four bolts and removed them using a retractable chain tool. These fixtures are needed for future power upgrades, NASA commentator Leah Cheshier noted during the agency’s broadcast.
Glover then began replacing a magenta-tinted starboard bilge camera; 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 extra stability during the maneuver, was controlled robotically by Rubins from the space station.
To get on the arm to “drive” it to the site, Glover had to attach and configure a hinged, portable footrest that would connect his feet to the arm. Before the maneuver, Hopkins did a quick HAP (helmet absorption pad) check to make sure nothing was leaking into the suit.
Once firmly on the arm, and with help from Rubins in the orbit lab, Glover “flew” to the camera site, the blue hues of the Atlantic Ocean blurred below. Glover has successfully replaced the broken starboard bilge camera, the first of three cameras 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, when the crew flew around the Earth at night, Hopkins and Glover got to work on two other camera systems on the space station. The pair worked to install a new HD camera on the US Destiny lab module, and then Hopkins worked to replace parts of the camera system on the remote manipulator system on the Japanese robotic arm.
Glover then moved to leave the footrest on Canadarm2, jokingly saying, “I would always fly ‘Air Rubins,'” as astronaut Rubins commanded the arm while riding it.
At this point, about four hours after the spacewalk, the astronauts had completed all important tasks for the event and were moving on to “get ahead” tasks, or additional goals that would otherwise be done on a later spacewalk.
During this final stretch of the spacewalk, Hopkins removed an additional H fixture and took photographs of the space station’s exterior to document its current state. Glover prepared the footrest configuration (which he previously used for the robotic arm ride) for a future spacewalk. Glover also removed and replaced a water seal magnet, a metal plate that helps keep the thermal cover of the space station’s Quest Joint Airlock closed.
Five hours and 20 minutes after they started, at 1:16 PM EST (1816 GMT), the astronauts started to pressurize the airlock and the spacewalk was officially over.
“I just want to thank the whole… Farmer and Vincent and everyone else, well done… I think we had a really, really good day… Thank you everyone,” Hopkins said as the spacewalk ended.
After today’s spacewalk, Expedition 64’s astronauts will take two additional spacewalks in the near future, NASA said. Next, Glover and Rubins will prepare the space station’s energy system for the installation of new solar panels and, in the spacewalk afterward, Rubins and Noguchi will upgrade the space station’s components, according to NASA. The exact dates for those spacewalks are not yet known.
Today’s spacewalk coincides with the first day of Black History Month. Glover, who completed today’s spacewalk with Hopkins the first black astronaut to participate in a long-term mission on the station, which will remain 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 SpaceX’s Crew-1 mission, is only the 15th black astronaut to ever reach space .
“It’s something to be celebrated once we get it there, and you know, I’m honored to be in this position and be a part of this amazing and experienced crew,” Glover said at a press conference in 2020 before launching to the space station. “And I look forward to getting up there and doing my best to make sure that, you know, we are worth all the work that has gone into preparing this mission.”
This spacewalk also coincides with the anniversary of the loss of STS-107, the Space Shuttle Columbia mission that ended in tragedy on February 1, 2003 when the shuttle broke up as it returned to Earth, killing all seven astronauts on board: Rick Husband, Michael Anderson, David Brown, Kalpana Chawla, Laurel Clark, William McCool and Ilan Ramon. The crew had successfully reached space, where they spent 16 days and conducted about 80 experiments before attempting to return to Earth.
An investigation found that during launch, a large chunk of foam fell from the shuttle’s external tank and hit the spacecraft’s wing. That damage caused the shuttle’s return failure. This tragic event prompted NASA to scrutinize their safety protocols and internal work culture to prioritize astronauts’ future safety.
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