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The International Space Station will obtain a power boost during a spacewalk on Saturday, as NASA astronauts Josh Cassada and Frank Rubio set up a photo voltaic array exterior the floating laboratory.
The spacewalk is on observe to start at 7:25 a.m. ET and will final for about seven hours, with stay protection streaming on NASA’s web site.
During the occasion, Cassada will function extravehicular crew member 1 and will put on a go well with with pink stripes, whereas Rubio will put on an unmarked white go well with as extravehicular crew member 2. The duo carried out their first spacewalk collectively in November. Against the backdrop of spectacular views of Earth, the crew assembled a mounting bracket on the starboard aspect of the space station’s truss.
This {hardware} permits for the set up of extra rollout photo voltaic arrays, known as iROSAs, to extend electrical power on the space station.
The first two rollout photo voltaic arrays have been put in exterior the station in June 2021. The plan is so as to add a complete of six iROSAs, which will seemingly boost the space station’s power era by greater than 30% as soon as all are operational.
Two extra arrays have been delivered to the space station on November 27 aboard the 26th SpaceX Dragon industrial resupply mission, which additionally carried dwarf tomato seeds and other experiments to the orbiting laboratory.
The arrays have been rolled up like carpet and are 750 kilos (340 kilograms) and 10 ft (three meters) large.
During Saturday’s spacewalk, Cassada and Rubio will set up a photo voltaic array to extend capability in one in every of the space station’s eight power channels, situated on the station’s starboard truss.
Once the array is unfurled and bolted into place by the astronauts, it will be about 63 ft (19 meters) lengthy and 20 ft (6 meters) large.
The spacewalking duo will additionally disconnect a cable to reactivate one other power channel that lately skilled “unexpected tripping” on November 26.
“By isolating a section of the impacted array, which was one of several damaged strings, the goal is to restore 75% of the array’s functionality,” in accordance with a launch from NASA.
Cassada and Rubio will go on one other spacewalk on December 19 to put in a second roll-out photo voltaic array on one other power channel, situated on the station’s port truss.
The unique photo voltaic arrays on the space station are nonetheless functioning, however they’ve been supplying power there for greater than 20 years and are exhibiting some indicators of damage after long-term publicity to the space atmosphere. The arrays have been initially designed to final 15 years.
Erosion could be attributable to thruster plumes, which come from each the station’s thrusters and the crew and cargo autos that come and go from the station, in addition to micrometeorite particles.
The new photo voltaic arrays are being positioned in entrance of the unique ones. It’s a good take a look at for the new photo voltaic arrays, as a result of this identical design will power elements of the deliberate Gateway lunar outpost, which will assist people return to the moon by means of NASA’s Artemis program.
The new arrays will have a comparable 15-year life expectancy. However, since the degradation on the unique arrays was anticipated to be worse, the crew will monitor the new arrays to check their true longevity, as a result of they might last more.