Space Station – Page 338 – Off The Earth, For The Earth

Spacewalkers Reviewing Wednesday’s Spacewalk

NASA astronaut Barry "Butch" Wilmore — ISS042E283176 (02/21/2015) — NASA astronaut Barry “Butch” Wilmore, Commander of Expedition 42 on Feb, 21, 2015 is caught by the camera as the Earth’s surface passes by in the background.

A pair of spacewalkers are conducting final reviews as they get ready for Wednesday morning’s spacewalk scheduled to start at 7:10 a.m. EST. They will be assisted by Italian astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti who will be the spacewalk choreographer and robotic arm operator.

NASA astronauts Barry Wilmore and Terry Virts will go outside for more cable routing work and lubrication work on the Canadarm2. This will be the second in a series of three spacewalks meant to ready the International Space Station for a pair of International Docking Adapters. The third will be Sunday morning.

› Read about the first spacewalk

The duo will also prepare the Tranquility module for the relocation of the Permanent Multipurpose Module. They are also readying the station for the new Bigelow Expandable Activity Module set to arrive later this year.

The three cosmonauts focused on maintenance tasks and their set of microgravity science to benefit life on Earth and future crews. Cristoforetti also worked on maintenance and science work in between her spacewalk preparations.

Wilmore, Virts Get Ready for Second Spacewalk

ISS042E283203 (02/21/2015) — NASA astronaut Terry Virts Flight Engineer of Expedition 42 on the International Space Station is seen working to complete a cable routing task while the sun begins to peak over the Earth’s horizon on Feb. 21 2015.

Ground controllers have maneuvered the space station’s large robotic arm Canadarm2 in place for work planned for Wednesday’s spacewalk. Spacewalkers Barry Wilmore and Terry Virts will start their second spacewalk at 7:10 a.m. EST to lay more cables and lubricate one of Canadarm2’s two latching end effectors, which serve as tip or base for the robotic arm. They will also prepare the Tranquility module for the relocation of the Permanent Multipurpose Module and the new Bigelow Expanded Activity Module later this year.

› Read about the first spacewalk

While the duo is reviewing its procedures and getting its tools and spacesuits ready, Italian astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti worked a variety of advanced life science and high-flying plumbing work. She wore gear for the Drain Brain experiment that studies how blood flows from the brain back to the heart in microgravity.

› Read more about the Drain Brain study

The three Expedition 42 cosmonauts enjoyed an off-duty day today in observation of the Russian Defender of the Fatherland holiday.

The leading end effector of the Canadarm2 (bottom foreground) will be lubricated Wednesday when astronauts Barry Wilmore conduct their second spacewalk. Credit: NASA TV

First of Three Spacewalks Complete

Spacewalkers Barry Wilmore and Terry Virts worked to set up 340 feet of cable on Pressurized Mating Adapter-2 readying it for an International Docking Adapter to accommodate future commercial crew vehicles. Credit: NASA TV

NASA astronauts Barry Wilmore and Terry Virts ended their spacewalk at 2:26 p.m. EST with the repressurization of the Quest airlock. Wilmore and Virts completed all the scheduled tasks for today and one get ahead task. They rigged a series of power and data cables at the forward end of the Harmony module and Pressurized Mating Adapter-2 and routed 340 of 360 feet of cable. The cable routing work is part of a reconfiguration of station systems and modules to accommodate the delivery of new docking adapters that commercial crew vehicles will use later this decade to deliver astronauts to the orbital laboratory.

The 6-hour, 41-minute spacewalk was the first for Virts. Wilmore now has spent 13 hours and 15 minutes in the void of space during two spacewalks. The spacewalk began this morning at 7:45 a.m. Astronauts have now spent a total of 1,159 hours and 8 minutes conducting space station assembly and maintenance during 185 spacewalks.

The duo will venture outside the space station again on Wednesday, Feb. 25, to deploy two more cables and lubricate the end of the space station’s robotic arm. NASA TV coverage will begin at 6 a.m. Wednesday ahead of a planned 7:10 a.m. start time for the spacewalk.

Spacewalkers Attaching Cables for Future Commercial Crew Vehicles

Approximately 2 hours and 30 minutes into today’s spacewalk, astronauts Barry Wilmore and Terry Virts have finished attaching several new cables on the port side of Pressurized Mating Adapter-2. The duo will reinstall a debris shield before moving to attach another new cable on the starboard side and route additional cables during their remaining time outside the International Space Station.

The crew is routing more than 300 feet of cable during today’s spacewalk and a second one planned for Wednesday as part of a reconfiguration of the station to enable U.S. commercial crew vehicles under development to dock to the space station in the coming years.

Watch the spacewalk on NASA Television at https://www.nasa.gov/nasatv

“Cable Guys” Begin First of Three Spacewalks

NASA astronauts Barry Wilmore and Terry Virts switched their spacesuits to battery power at 7:45 a.m. EST, signifying the start of today’s planned 6-hour, 30-minute spacewalk.

Wilmore and Virts will attach power and data cables to the port and starboard sides of Pressurized Mating Adapter-2 at the forward end of the Harmony module where the first of two International Docking Adapters will be installed later this year. Boeing built the two new docking adapters, and they will be delivered to the station on a pair of SpaceX Dragon cargo spacecraft this year. Boeing’s Crew Space Transportation (CST)-100 and SpaceX’s Crew Dragon will use the adapters to deliver astronauts to the space station later this decade.

Wilmore is wearing a spacesuit with red stripes and is designated EV1. His helmet camera displays the number 18. Virts is wearing a spacesuit with no stripes and is designated EV2. His helmet camera displays the number 20. This is second spacewalk for Wilmore and the first for Virts. It is the 185th spacewalk in support of space station assembly and maintenance.

NASA Television is broadcasting the spacewalk at https://www.nasa.gov/nasatv.

NASA TV Providing Live Coverage of Saturday Spacewalk

ISS042E277380 (02/16/2015) — U.S. Astronaut Terry Virts, Flight Engineer for Expedition 42 on the International Space Station Feb. 16, 2015 checks out his spacesuit in preparation for the upcoming Extracurricular Activity (EVA) or Spacewalk for installation of a new port. This port will be for the commercial spacecraft as well as other craft in the future.

NASA Television will provide live coverage of tomorrow’s U.S. spacewalk conducted from the International Space Station beginning at 6 a.m. EST. The spacewalk is scheduled to begin at 7:10 a.m. and run about 6 1/2 hours.

Expedition 42 Commander Barry Wilmore and Flight Engineer Terry Virts will venture outside the orbital complex in the first of three spacewalks in the coming days to prepare cables and communications gear for new docking ports that will allow future crews launching from Florida on U.S. commercial spacecraft to dock to the space station.

Watch the spacewalk live on NASA Television or at https://www.nasa.gov/nasatv.

This is the 185th spacewalk in support of space station assembly and maintenance. Join the conversation on Twitter by following @NASA, @NASA_Johnson, and the hashtags #Exp42 and #ISScrew. To learn more about all the ways to connect and collaborate with NASA, visit: https://www.nasa.gov/connect.

First of Three Spacewalks Now Set for Saturday

Expedition 42 Cosmonauts — (From left) Expedition 42 cosmonauts Elena Serova, Anton Shkaplerov and Alexander Samokutyaev work inside Japan’s Kibo laboratory module. Credit: NASA TV

NASA astronauts Barry Wilmore and Terry Virts are preparing to ready the International Space Station for a pair of international docking adapters (IDAs) that will allow future commercial crew vehicles to dock. The duo is almost set to start a series of three spacewalks routing cables and preparing the Canadarm2 for the installation of the IDAs to be delivered later this year.

The first spacewalk is now set to begin Saturday at 7:10 a.m. EST with NASA TV live coverage starting at 6 a.m. The second and third spacewalks are planned for Feb. 25 and March 1, both beginning at 7:10 a.m.

Amidst the spacewalk preparations, the Expedition 42 crew members continued ongoing advanced microgravity science benefiting life on Earth and current and future crew members. The crew looked at stem growth for the Aniso Tubule botany experiment, cell cultures grown on orbit and a crew member’s cardiac activity during long-duration missions.

Astronauts Preparing for Friday Spacewalk

NASA astronauts Barry Wilmore and Terry Virts are counting down to the first of three assembly spacewalks set to begin Friday at 7:10 a.m. EST. The duo checked out their rescue jet packs they would use in the unlikely event they became untethered from the International Space Station. The spacewalks will prepare the station for new commercial crew vehicle docking ports.

The latest supply ship to dock to the orbital lab, Progress 58, had its hatches opened Wednesday morning, following its Tuesday arrival. The Expedition 42 crew members will now begin unloading several tons of food and supplies that will replenish the station residents for the next few months.

Meanwhile, the six-member crew continued the International Partners’ mission of conducting advanced microgravity science. Ultrasound eye scans and blood pressure checks were conducted with remote guidance from doctors on the ground today. The crew also studied cell cultures grown on orbit and explored techniques to improve Earth observation photography.

Progress 58 Docks to Station’s Zvezda Service Module

International Space Station Configuration — There are now four spacecraft docked to the International Space Station including the newly arrived ISS Progress 58 space freighter as Feb. 17, 2015. Credit: NASA

Traveling about 257 miles above the Atlantic Ocean northeast of Puerto Rico, the unpiloted Progress 58 Russian cargo ship docked at 11:57 a.m. EST to the rear port of the Zvezda service module of the International Space Station. The craft is delivering three tons of food, fuel, supplies and experiment hardware to the six crew members aboard the orbital laboratory. Progress 58 is scheduled to remain docked to the space station until August.

Meanwhile, astronauts in the U.S. segment of the station are reviewing procedures for a trio of spacewalks. The first is set to begin Friday at 7:10 a.m. Spacewalkers Barry Wilmore and Terry Virts will exit the orbital lab to set the stage for a pair of new commercial crew vehicle docking ports to be installed later this year.

Outside the station on Sunday, robotics controllers on the ground maneuvered the Canadarm2 with the Dextre attached to remove and replace a faulty Remote Power Controller Module (RPCM). The RPCM provides backup commanding capability to the port Thermal Radiator Rotating Joint.

For more information about the current crew and the International Space Station, visit: https://www.nasa.gov/station.

Watch Live Progress Docking on NASA TV

An ISS Progress resupply vehicle approaches the International Space Station on April 29, 2011.

NASA Television will provide live coverage of the docking of ISS Progress 58 to the rear port of the International Space Station’s Zvezda service module beginning at 11:30 a.m. EST. Docking is planned for 11:58 a.m.

The cargo craft launched at 6:00 a.m. EST from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan carrying about three tons of food, fuel, supplies and experiment hardware to the six crew members on the space station.

Watch the docking live on NASA Television or at https://www.nasa.gov/ntv.