Forum: Space Shuttles - Space Station Topic: ISS Expedition 50: US (38) spacewalk (1/6/17)
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Working on the right side of the space station's truss, Expedition 50 commander Shane Kimbrough and flight engineer Peggy Whitson will install adapter plates and hook up electrical connections for six new lithium-ion batteries that were delivered to the station in December.

The new batteries are replacing 12 older nickel-hydrogen batteries. Nine of the older batteries will be stowed in a cargo resupply craft for later disposal, while three will remain on the truss, disconnected from the power grid.

This is the 196th spacewalk in support of space station assembly and maintenance. Kimbrough is designated EV1, wearing the suit bearing red stripes. It is the third spacewalk of his career.

Whitson is making her seventh EVA, matching Suni Williams' record for the most spacewalks by a woman. She is wearing a spacesuit with no stripes.

The work will continue Jan. 13 during a second spacewalk, which will be conducted by Kimbrough and flight engineer Thomas Pesquet of the European Space Agency (ESA).

Expedition 50 Commander Shane Kimbrough and Flight Engineer Peggy Whitson concluded their spacewalk at 1:55 p.m. EST. During the six-hour and 32-minute spacewalk, the two NASA astronauts successfully installed three new adapter plates and hooked up electrical connections for three of the six new lithium-ion batteries on the International Space Station. They also accomplished several get-ahead tasks, including a photo survey of the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer.

The new lithium-ion batteries and adapter plates replace the nickel-hydrogen batteries currently used on the station to store electrical energy generated by the station's solar arrays. Robotic work to update the batteries began in January. This was the first of two spacewalks planned to finalize the installation.

Kimbrough and Flight Engineer Thomas Pesquet of ESA (European Space Agency) will conduct the second spacewalk on Friday, Jan. 13.