posted 01-13-2017 02:23 AM               

Spacewalkers upgrading station power system

For the second time in a week, two astronauts will venture outside the International Space Station on Friday (Jan. 13) to wrap up a complex upgrade to the orbiting outpost's power system.

The extravehicular activity (EVA) is scheduled to begin at 6 a.m. CST (1200 GMT).

Working on the starboard side of the truss, Expedition 50 commander Shane Kimbrough and ESA flight engineer Thomas Pesquet will finish installing adapter plates and hooking up electrical connections for the lithium-ion batteries delivered to the space station in December.

The new batteries are replacing older nickel-hydrogen batteries.

This is the 197th spacewalk in support of space station assembly and maintenance. Kimbrough is designated EV1, wearing the suit bearing red stripes. It is the fourth spacewalk of his career.

Pesquet is making his first spacewalk — the 11th EVA by a European astronaut. He is wearing a spacesuit with no stripes.

This spacewalk completes the work begun Jan. 6 by Kimbrough and flight engineer Peggy Whitson.

Both spacewalks complement robotics work that started at the end of December. Ground controllers have operated the Canadarm2 robotic arm and Dextre hand to remove the old nickel-hydrogen batteries and the install the new batteries.

posted 01-13-2017 06:11 AM               

During the nearly six hour spacewalk, the two 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.

Kimbrough and Pesquet were also able to accomplish several get-ahead tasks including stowing padded shields from Node 3 outside of the station to make room inside the airlock and taking photos to document hardware for future spacewalks.