posted 07-20-2020 10:07 PM               

ISS Expedition 63: U.S. Spacewalk 68

NASA astronauts Bob Behnken and Chris Cassidy are scheduled to exit the International Space Station's Quest airlock on Tuesday (July 21) for a spacewalk that will conduct a series of tasks in preparation for future upgrades to the orbiting laboratory.

Behnken and Cassidy will set their spacesuits to battery power at about 7:35 a.m. EDT (1135 GMT), signifying the start of their spacewalk.

During the extravehicular activity (EVA), the two astronauts will remove handling aids from two locations at the base of the station's solar arrays, run cables, remove a lens filter cover from an external camera, and prepare the outside of the Tranquility Node 3 for the arrival later this year of Nanoracks' commercial experiment airlock.

This will be the 231st spacewalk in support of space station assembly and maintenance and the tenth for each of the spacewalkers, tying the American record for the most career EVAs with now former astronauts Michael Lopez-Alegria and Peggy Whitson. Behnken will be designated extravehicular (EV) crew member 1 and wear a spacesuit bearing red stripes. Cassidy will be EV 2, wearing a suit with no stripes.

posted 07-21-2020 12:10 PM               

NASA astronauts tie spacewalk record on EVA to prep ISS upgrades

Two NASA astronauts tied a spacewalk record while preparing the International Space Station for future upgrades.

Bob Behnken, who arrived at the space station on SpaceX's Crew Dragon DM-2 spacecraft in late May, and Expedition 63 commander Chris Cassidy performed their fourth spacewalk together on Tuesday (July 21). The 5-hour and 29-minute excursion marked the tenth extravehicular activity, or EVA, by both crewmates, tying the record for the most spacewalks conducted by an American, as was also achieved by two other astronauts.

"Does the tenth one feel like the first one?" Behnken asked Cassidy after the EVA was complete.

"No, a little more comfortable on the tenth one than the first one," replied Cassidy. "The view is always amazing, though."