ISS - Expedition 48 Mission patch
August 19, 2016
Expedition 48 Commander Jeff Williams and Flight Engineer Kate Rubins concluded their spacewalk at 2:02 EDT. During the five-hour and 58-minute spacewalk, the two NASA astronauts successfully installed the first of two international docking adapters (IDAs).
Image above: Spacewalker Kate Rubins works outside the International Space Station with the SpaceX Dragon space freighter just below her. Image Credit: NASA TV.
The IDAs will be used for the future arrivals of Boeing and SpaceX commercial crew spacecraft in development under NASA’s Commercial Crew Program. Commercial crew flights from Florida’s Space Coast to the International Space Station will restore America’s human launch capability and increase the time U.S. crews can dedicate to scientific research, which is helping prepare astronauts for deep space missions, including the journey to Mars.
American Astronauts Install New Docking Port for U S Commercial Crew Vehicles
Space station crew members have conducted 194 spacewalks in support of assembly and maintenance of the orbiting laboratory. Spacewalkers have now spent a total of 1,210 hours and 46 minutes working outside the station.
Keep up with the International Space Station, and its research and crews, at:
International Space Station (ISS): https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/main/index.html
Space Station Research and Technology: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/index.html
Image (mentioned), Video, Text, Credits: NASA/Mark Garcia.
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