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  ISS Expedition 46: US (34) spacewalk (12/21/15)

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Author Topic:   ISS Expedition 46: US (34) spacewalk (12/21/15)
Robert Pearlman
Editor

Posts: 42988
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999

posted 12-18-2015 10:35 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Robert Pearlman   Click Here to Email Robert Pearlman     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
NASA release
NASA Astronauts to Conduct Spacewalk as Early as Monday, Dec. 21

Expedition 46 Commander Scott Kelly and Flight Engineer Tim Kopra of NASA are preparing for a previously unscheduled spacewalk outside the International Space Station on either Monday, Dec. 21, or Tuesday, Dec. 22. The pair will move the station's mobile transporter rail car so it can be latched in place ahead of the Wednesday, Dec. 23 docking of a Russian cargo resupply spacecraft.

The mobile transporter — used to position the station's robotic Canadarm2 — stalled on Dec. 16, just four inches (10 centimeters) from where it began its move, while flight controllers in the Mission Control Center at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston were attempting to reposition it robotically. The cause of the stall still is being evaluated.

A start time for the spacewalk has not yet been set, but NASA Television coverage will begin 90 minutes prior to the start of the excursion, which will be conducted out of the U.S. Quest airlock. The station's mission management team is targeting Monday for the spacewalk, but will meet again in a readiness review Sunday, Dec. 20 to make the final decision.

This will be the 191st spacewalk in support of space station assembly and maintenance, the third in Kelly's career and the second for Kopra, who just arrived at the station Dec. 15. Kelly, who is nine months into a one-year mission, will be designated extravehicular activity crew member 1 (EV1) wearing the suit bearing the red stripes, and Kopra will be extravehicular activity crew member 2 (EV2) wearing the plain suit.

The ISS Progress 62 [MS-01] supply spacecraft is scheduled to launch at 3:44 a.m. EST Monday from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan and dock at 5:31 a.m. Wednesday to the Pirs docking compartment.

Robert Pearlman
Editor

Posts: 42988
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999

posted 12-20-2015 01:57 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Robert Pearlman   Click Here to Email Robert Pearlman     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
NASA release
Station managers 'Go' for Monday spacewalk

The International Space Station Mission Management Team met Sunday (Dec. 20) and gave its approval to proceed with a spacewalk Monday out of the Quest airlock by Expedition 46 commander Scott Kelly and flight engineer Tim Kopra of NASA to assist in moving the Mobile Transporter rail car a few inches to a worksite on the station's truss where it can be latched in place and electrically mated to the complex.

The green light for the unplanned spacewalk to take place Monday came three days after the Mobile Transporter stalled just four inches away from its embarkation point at worksite 4 near the center of the station's truss as it began to move to another worksite to support robotic payload operations with its attached Canadarm2 robotic arm and the Special Purpose Dexterous Manipulator (Dextre).

Station managers ordered the spacewalk to latch down the transporter as a cautionary measure in advance of the scheduled docking of the new unpiloted ISS Progress 62 cargo ship on Wednesday that will link up to the Pirs Docking Compartment. The Progress is on track for launch from the Site 31 launch pad at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan Monday at 2:44 a.m. Central time (2:44 p.m. Baikonur time).

The planned 3 to 3.5 hour spacewalk is scheduled to begin Monday at 7:10 a.m. Central time. The start time for the spacewalk is variable since Kopra will be conducting a fit check of his U.S. spacesuit in parallel with other spacewalk preparations. NASA TV coverage will begin at 5:30 a.m. Central time.

Kelly, who will be making his third spacewalk, will be extravehicular crew member 1 (EV 1) wearing the U.S. spacesuit bearing the red stripes. Kopra, who arrived on the station on Dec. 15, will be making the second spacewalk of his career as extravehicular crew member 2 (EV 2) wearing the suit with no stripes. It will be the 191st spacewalk in support of station assembly and maintenance and the seventh spacewalk of the year by station crew members.

Kelly and Kopra will float out of the Quest airlock to the area where the Mobile Transporter has stalled to check out the position of its brake handles and other mechanisms to make sure the rail car can be commanded to move back to worksite 4 by robotic flight controllers at Mission Control, Houston. It is suspected that a brake handle on an equipment cart attached to the starboard side of the transporter may have inadvertently engaged, which if correct, should easily be released to allow for the transporter to be moved into place for its latching.

If the primary task of moving the transporter to its worksite is completed quickly, Kelly and Kopra may press on to a few get-ahead tasks that include the routing of cables in advance of International Docking Adapter installment work to support U.S. commercial crew vehicles, and opening a door housing power distribution system relay boxes just above the worksite to facilitate the future robotic replacement of modular components.

Robert Pearlman
Editor

Posts: 42988
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999

posted 12-21-2015 12:02 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Robert Pearlman   Click Here to Email Robert Pearlman     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Astronauts make quick work of short spacewalk

NASA astronauts Scott Kelly and Tim Kopra successfully freed the International Space Station's mobile transporter during a three hour, 16 minute spacewalk on Monday (Dec. 21).

The unplanned extravehicular activity (EVA) began at 6:45 a.m. CST (1245 GMT) and ended at 10:01 a.m. CST (1601 GMT).

Kelly and Kopra made quick work of releasing brake handles on the crew equipment (CETA) carts on either side of the mobile transporter rail car so it could be latched in place ahead of Wednesday’s docking of Russia's Progress MS-01 cargo spacecraft.

Their primary objective completed, the two Expedition 46 crewmates tackled several get-ahead tasks. Kelly routed a second pair of cables in preparation for the installation of an International Docking Adapter (IDA) to support U.S. commercial crew vehicles, continuing work he began during a November spacewalk. Kopra routed an ethernet cable that ultimately will connect to a Russian laboratory module. They also retrieved tools that had been in a toolbox on the outside of the station, so they can be used for future work.

The spacewalk was the third for Kelly, who is nine months into a nearly yearlong mission, and the second for Kopra, who arrived to the station on Dec. 15. It was the 191st EVA in support of assembly and maintenance of the orbiting laboratory. Crew members have now spent a total of 1,195 hours and 20 minutes working outside the International Space Staiton.

All times are CT (US)

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