International astronauts to prepare space station for third new solar arrayTwo Expedition 65 astronauts will conduct a spacewalk on Sunday (Sept. 12) to continue modifications to the International Space Station's power system.
Akihiko Hoshide of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) and Thomas Pesquet of the European Space Agency (ESA) will become the first international astronauts to perform a spacewalk without an American or Russian as one of the pair. Their planned six-and-a-half hour spacewalk is scheduled to begin at 8:30 a.m. EDT (1230 GMT) when they set their U.S. spacesuits to battery power.
After exiting the station's U.S. Quest airlock, Hoshide and Pesquet will install a support bracket, called a modification kit, on the inward port (or left-hand) side of the station's backbone truss structure in a position known as P4, which is closest to the station's pressurized living space.
The kit will prepare the site for the future installation and deployment of the third of six new International Space Station Roll-Out Solar Arrays (iROSAs). The array will upgrade one of the station's eight power channels. Known as 4A, the channel provides partial power to the U.S. Destiny laboratory, the Harmony module and European Columbus module.
Hoshide and Pesquet will install the modification kit on the mast canister at the base of the original P4 solar arrays.
The two spacewalkers also will replace a device that measures the electrical charging potential of the arrays and associated surfaces in its vicinity, called a floating point measurement unit, on a separate truss section.
Hoshide will serve as extravehicular crew member one (EV1), with red stripes on his spacesuit. Pesquet will be EV2 with an unmarked suit. This will be the fourth spacewalk for Hoshide, the sixth spacewalk for Pesquet and the 244th spacewalk in support of assembly and maintenance of the International Space Station.
Sunday's spacewalk follows three others to install the first pair of new iROSAs. The station's original solar arrays are functioning well but have begun to show signs of degradation, which was expected, as they were designed for a 15-year service life.
The same roll-out solar array design will be used to power elements of NASA's Gateway, a new lunar-orbiting outpost in development by NASA's commercial and international partners.