ISS - Expedition 63 Mission patch.
June 29, 2020
NASA astronauts Chris Cassidy and Bob Behnken will start their second spacewalk together on July 1. The duo will continue upgrading power systems on the International Space Station.
The veteran spacewalkers wrapped up a spacewalk on Friday after six hours and 7 minutes swapping five aging nickel-hydrogen (NiH2) batteries with two new lithium-ion (Li-Ion) batteries. They will go out again on Wednesday starting at 7:20 a.m. EDT to swap one more NiH2 battery for a Li-Ion battery on the Starboard-6 truss structure worksite. NASA TV will begin its live coverage at 6 a.m.
NASA TV: https://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/nasatv/index.html
Image above: A spacewalker’s spacesuit gloves and camera are reflected in the helmet visor in this “space-selfie” taken during a six-hour and seven-minute spacewalk. Image Credit: NASA.
Flight Engineer Doug Hurley joined his Expedition 63 crewmates today in a review of Wednesday’s spacewalk procedures with ground specialists. Hurley once again will assist Cassidy and Behnken in and out of their spacesuits and monitor the pair during the excursion.
Space station managers also are planning two more spacewalks in July to keep up the battery upgrades. Times will be announced after Cassidy and Behnken complete Wednesday’s spacewalk and mission planners finalize the spacewalk tasks.
Image above: On June 26, 2020, spacewalkers Bob Behnken and Chris Cassidy completed the first of two scheduled spacewalks to replace batteries on one of two power channels on the far starboard truss (S6 Truss) of the International Space Station. In this image posted by @AstroBehnken on Twitter, he said: "Yesterday, @Astro_SEAL snapped this shot from our worksite on @Space_Station – @SpaceX ’s Crew Dragon and @JAXA_en ’s HTV in clear view. Not bad for a view while working …" Image Credit: NASA.
During the spacewalk, Behnken and Cassidy removed five of six aging nickel-hydrogen batteries for one of two power channels for the starboard 6 (S6) truss, installed two of three new lithium-ion batteries, and installed two of three associated adapter plates that are used to complete the power circuit to the new batteries. Mission control reports that the two new batteries are working.
International Space Station (ISS). Animation Credit: NASA
Cassidy and Behnken are scheduled to complete the upgrade to this initial power channel in a second spacewalk on July 1.
Cosmonauts Anatoly Ivanishin and Ivan Vagner spent Monday working on a variety of Russian communications gear and life support hardware. The duo also worked on a pair of Earth science studies exploring how natural and man-made activities on the surface affect the upper and lower atmosphere.
Related article:
Cassidy and Behnken Conclude Spacewalk to Replace Batteries
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2020/06/cassidy-and-behnken-conclude-spacewalk.html
Related links:
Expedition 63: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/expeditions/expedition63/index.html
Commercial Crew Program: https://www.nasa.gov/exploration/commercial/crew/index.html
Starboard-6 truss structure: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/structure/elements/truss-structure
Space Station Research and Technology: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/overview.html
International Space Station (ISS): https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/main/index.html
Images (mentioned), Animation (mentioned), Text, Credits: NASA/Mark Garcia.
Best regards, Orbiter.ch
