posted 10-11-2019 01:14 AM               

ISS Expedition 61: U.S. Spacewalk 57

Astronauts aboard the International Space Station are set to begin the second in a series of five spacewalks to replace some of the orbiting lab's solar array batteries.

Expedition 61 spacewalkers Andrew Morgan and Christina Koch will continue the work they began on Oct. 6 to install new batteries on the far end of the Port-6 truss structure. The spacewalk is scheduled to begin on Friday, Oct. 11, at about 7:50 a.m. EDT (1150 GMT).

The two astronauts will remove the existing nickel-hydrogen batteries and replace them with newer, more powerful lithium-ion batteries transported to the space station aboard the Japanese H-II Transfer Vehicle that arrived Saturday, Sept. 28.

This spacewalk (extravehicular activity or EVA), the one prior and the three to follow in the coming weeks continue the overall upgrade of the space station's power system that began with similar work during spacewalks in January 2017.

Morgan, conducing his third career spacewalk, will be EV1. Koch will serve as EV2 on what is also her third EVA.

posted 10-11-2019 07:58 PM               

Expedition 61 flight engineers Andrew Morgan and Christina Koch removed three of the old nickel-hydrogen batteries and installed a new lithium ion battery, completing the planned work to upgrade the space station's 2B power channel.

The two astronauts also were able to accomplish several get-ahead tasks setting up the 4B batteries for the next spacewalk to be conducted by Morgan and Jessica Meir on Wednesday, Oct. 16.

Morgan has now spent a total of 20 hours and 18 minutes on three spacewalks. Koch now has logged 20 hours and 31 minutes on her three EVAs.

This was the 220th spacewalk devoted to the International Space Station since assembly of the outpost began in 1998. Astronauts and cosmonauts have now spent 1,381 hours and 12 minutes, or 57.55 days, working outside the orbiting complex.