EVA - Extra Vehicular Activities patch.
Nov. 15, 2022
Expedition 68 Flight Engineers Josh Cassada and Frank Rubio of NASA concluded their spacewalk at 4:25 p.m. EST after 7 hours and 11 minutes in preparation for upcoming solar array installation.
Image above: NASA astronauts (from left) Josh Cassada and Frank Rubio are pictured during spacewalk training at NASA’s Johnson Space Center. Image Credit: NASA.
Expedition 68 Flight Engineers Josh Cassada and Frank Rubio of NASA began a spacewalk at 9:14 a.m. EST to assemble a mounting bracket on the starboard side of the station’s truss assembly in preparation for the installation of a pair of International Space Station Rollout Solar Arrays on the space station.
Image above: Cassada (suit with red stripes) and Frank Rubio (unmarked suit) prepare the International Space Station (ISS) for the arrival of new solar arrays. Image Credit: NASA TV.
Cassada and Rubio completed the majority of the primary objectives for today to assemble a mounting bracket on the starboard side of the station’s truss assembly in preparation for the installation of a pair of International Space Station Rollout Solar Arrays (iROSAs).
The duo completed the routing of cables on the 3A power channel, and began the installation process of a modification kit on the 1B power channel, which will act as a scaffolding for the new solar arrays. The crew deferred some planned tasks associated with the completion of the modification kit, including the installation of collars, and the routing of cables for the 1B power channel. The remaining work will be completed during a future spacewalk prior to the arrival of the solar arrays for the 1B power channel, and no changes are planned for the next two upcoming U.S. spacewalks.
Image above: NASA Astronaut Josh Cassada enters the airlock at the end of Tuesday’s spacewalk to prepare the station for upcoming solar array upgrades. Image Credit: NASA TV.
It was the 254th spacewalk in support of space station assembly, upgrades and maintenance, and was the first spacewalk for both astronauts. Cassada and Rubio are in the midst of a planned six-month science mission living and working aboard the microgravity laboratory to advance scientific knowledge and demonstrate new technologies for future human and robotic exploration missions, including lunar missions through NASA’s Artemis program.
The next two U.S. spacewalks are scheduled on Tuesday, Nov. 29, and Saturday, Dec. 3. On Nov. 29, two astronauts will install an iROSA for the 3A power channel, and on Dec. 3 a pair of astronauts will install an iROSA on the port truss for the 4A power channel. These will be the third and fourth iROSAs out of a total six planned for installation. The iROSAs will increase power generation capability by up to 30%, increasing the station’s total available power from 160 kilowatts to up to 215 kilowatts.
Related article:
NASA Plans Coverage of Roscosmos Spacewalks at Space Station
https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-plans-coverage-of-roscosmos-spacewalks-at-space-station
Image above: Russian cosmonaut Sergey Ryazanskiy, Expedition 37 flight engineer, attired in a Russian Orlan spacesuit, is pictured on Nov. 9, 2013, during a session of extravehicular activity (EVA) in support of assembly and maintenance on the International Space Station. Image Credits: NASA/JSC.
NASA will provide coverage as two Roscosmos cosmonauts conduct a series of spacewalks in November and December outside the International Space Station to prepare hardware on the Rassvet module for installation on the Nauka multipurpose laboratory module.
Related links:
Expedition 68: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/expeditions/expedition68/index.html
Quest airlock: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/structure/elements/joint-quest-airlock
International Space Station (ISS): https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/main/index.html
Artemis program: https://www.nasa.gov/specials/artemis/
Images (mentioned), Text, Credits: NASA/Mark Garcia.
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