posted 03-01-2015 05:16 AM               

Spacewalkers to install new docking antennas

Expedition 42 commander Butch Wilmore and flight engineer Terry Virts on Sunday (March 1) will embark on a spacewalk to continue the work they began on Saturday and continued on Wednesday to prepare the International Space Station for a pair of new international docking adapters (IDAs).

On this, the third of their three planned spacewalks together, the duo will will deploy 400 feet of cable along the space station's truss and install antennas as part of the new Common Communications for Visiting Vehicles (C2V2) system that will provide rendezvous and navigational data to vehicles approaching the station, including the new U.S. commercial crew vehicles.

Wednesday's spacewalk is scheduled begin at 6:10 a.m. CST (1210 GMT) and run about 6 hours and 45 minutes.

posted 03-01-2015 05:54 AM               

Wilmore, Virts begin their third spacewalk

Barry "Butch" Wilmore and Terry Virts switched their extravehicular mobility unit (EMU) spacesuits from external power to battery at 5:52 a.m. CST (1152 GMT) on Sunday (March 1), marking the start of their planned six-hour, 45-minute spacewalk.

Wilmore and Virts will run cable along the truss of the space station and install antennas as part of the new Common Communications for Visiting Vehicles (C2V2) system.

Swapping designations for this, the final scheduled Expedition 42 spacewalk, Virts is EV1 (extravehicular crew member 1) wearing the spacesuit with the red stripes. Wilmore is EV2 with no stripes on his suit.

posted 03-01-2015 11:41 AM               

Astronauts add antennas, route cables on third of three station spacewalks

The International Space Station is now three steps – or rather spacewalks – closer to being ready for the arrival of new U.S. commercial crewed spacecraft with the successful completion of a two-astronaut outing on Sunday morning (March 1).

NASA astronauts Terry Virts and Barry "Butch" Wilmore ventured outside the orbiting outpost for the third time in eight days to prepare the station for new docking ports to be added later this year. On Sunday, Virts and Wilmore routed some 400 feet (122 meters) of cables and installed two antenna booms that will provide navigational data to spacecraft approaching the complex.

Virts and Wilmore completed the five-hour and 38 minute spacewalk at 12:30 p.m. EST (1730 GMT), having started the excursion at 6:52 a.m. EST (1152 GMT).