Two NASA astronauts possess accomplished the 2d-to-last feature of battery replacements outside of the World Space Characteristic, advancing a multi-three hundred and sixty five days mission to upgrade the energy contrivance for the orbiting laboratory.
Expedition 63 commander Chris Cassidy and Bob Behnken, who launched on SpaceX’s Crew Dragon spacecraft in dreary Might maybe, achieved their 2d spacewalk collectively on Wednesday (July 1), five days after starting build the battery swap work for even handed one of two energy channels on the build’s a ways starboard (S6) truss aloof desirous to be upgraded.
The spacewalk began at 7: 13 a.m. EDT (1113 GMT) as Cassidy and Behnken switched their spacesuits to internal energy.
Video: NASA spacewalkers work outside quandary build to swap batteries
In photos: The Expedition 63 mission to the World Space Characteristic
Working alongside a pallet supported by the build’s Canadarm2 robotic arm, the astronauts retrieved and build in any other lithium-ion battery and any other adapter plate, including to the two original batteries and two adapter plates they build into build on June 26. The spacewalkers moreover removed the sixth and last, older nickel-hydrogen battery, stowing it on the pallet for its disposal.
Every original battery measures about half of the dimensions of a refrigerator, or 40 inches long by 37 inches huge by 19 inches high (101 by 94 by 48 centimeters). The outmoded nickel-hydrogen batteries weigh 365 lbs. (165 kilograms) each and each. The lithium-ion replacements weigh 428 lbs. (194 kg).
As the original batteries possess more capacity, one lithium-ion battery (and one adapter plate) can change two nickel-hydrogen batteries. Since January 2017, astronauts possess been working to upgrade each and each of the build’s eight energy channels with three lithium-ion batteries as an exchange of their normal six nickel-hydrogen batteries.
Connected: Spacewalk photos: World Space Characteristic gets a energy upgrade
The original batteries possess been delivered to and disposed by Japan’s H-II Switch Autos (HTV), the most original and last of which arrived at the quandary build in Might maybe.
Cassidy and Behnken’s work on Wednesday accomplished the battery upgrade to the build’s IB energy channel, leaving wonderful the 3B channel for a future feature of two spacewalks. Flight controllers at NASA’s Mission Control Center in Houston verified that the original battery used to be operational.
Having achieved the main task of the extravehicular activity (EVA), the astronauts then became to accomplishing several “uncover-aheads.” First, they loosened the bolts preserving down the final feature of nickel-hydrogen batteries and relocated footholds to feature up for the next pair of spacewalks planned for later this month.
The duo then split up, heading to separate aspects of the quandary build. Cassidy routed original energy and ethernet cables on the S3 truss to feature up for the installation of a original exterior wi-fi communications contrivance. The ability and data working by contrivance of the cables will toughen an enhanced high-definition (HD) camera and amplify coverage quandary for future spacewalkers’ helmet-mounted wi-fi cameras.
Behnken, in the period in-between, headed to the cease of the starboard truss to understand away a now no longer valuable instrument known as an “H-Fixture” from the contaminated of even handed one of the solar array masts, which used to be build in sooner than the array used to be launched. The elimination, though, did now not run as planned.
“I’ve been placing about as essential power as I can into it to understand a scrutinize at to drag it off, nonetheless it undoubtedly is no longer attracted to coming off,” Behnken reported to Mission Control after attempting to reveal several instruments to pry the fixture from the mast. “I secure the wonderful resolution can also very correctly be a longer tool inserted into the tether level — though that would possibly maybe maybe well even simply break the tether level off. I can pull on it slightly factual, nonetheless it undoubtedly is all the time no longer transferring at all.”
“We create no longer secure there would possibly maybe be something we can attain to uncover it off, so we can have to reassess for future EVAs,” answered astronaut-capcom Jasmin Moghbeli, calling off the elimination strive from the bottom.
Giving up on the H-Fixture’s elimination, Behnken then reunited with Cassidy on the S3 truss to relieve in routing the original ethernet cable sooner than they each and each headed support to the Quest airlock to switch inner the quandary build. The spacewalk came to an cease at 1: 14 p.m. EDT (1714 GMT) after 6 hours and 1 minute.
Connected: The World Space Characteristic: inner and out (infographic)
Wednesday’s spacewalk used to be the 229th in toughen of quandary build meeting and upkeep. It used to be the eighth spacewalk for each and each astronauts.
Cassidy now has spent a full of 43 hours and 22 minutes and Behnken has spent a full of 49 hours and 41 minutes spacewalking.
Robert Pearlman is a Space.com contributing author and the editor of collectSPACE.com, a Space.com partner location and the main quandary historical past news newsletter. Discover collectSPACE on Facebook and on Twitter at @collectSPACE. Discover us on Twitter @Spacedotcom and on Facebook.
Leave a comment
Sign in to post your comment or sign-up if you don't have any account.