NASA Astronauts performed their 2nd spacewalk today all under a week’s time. The astronauts stepped out of the ISS in order to replace the old batteries that the station was running on. Station commander Chris Cassidy and astronaut Bob Behnken ventured to tackle the more powerful and bigger batteries.
The success of the historic Launch America event led to the docking of these astronauts who eventually went on for two spacewalks in the same week. For every two outdated batteries coming out, a new and improved one goes in to supply power to the station on the night side of Earth.
.@Astro_SEAL has completed routing a power cable, but removing a stubborn H-fixture is no longer on @AstroBehnken’s to-do list and he is bolting it back into place. The spacewalk continues. 🔧 pic.twitter.com/Wecx61Rn9n
— NASA (@NASA) July 1, 2020
NASA Astronauts leave the International Space Station
The power station work for the ISS is currently going on as the researchers need only two more days to finish the task. Nasa plans to send the astronauts out twice more in July to complete the battery swaps that began in 2017.
Today at 1:14pm ET @Astro_SEAL and @AstroBehnken concluded the 229th spacewalk in support of the @Space_Station assembly and maintenance. It was the 5th spacewalk of 2020. pic.twitter.com/fVKJHw3KcI
— NASA (@NASA) July 1, 2020
The new lithium-ion batteries should last the rest of the space station’s life, according to officials. Before floating out, Mr. Cassidy attached a spare mirror to his sleeve to replace one that came off and floated away during Friday’s spacewalk.
The space organization wants the battery work completed before Mr. Behnken returns to Earth in August aboard a SpaceX capsule. He is one of two test pilots who launched on SpaceX’s first astronaut flight in May. Chris Cassidy and Bob Behnken now have eight spacewalks apiece on their resumes.
As we approach orbital nighttime, @Astro_SEAL and @AstroBehnken are wrapping up a successful spacewalk, completing numerous get ahead tasks. pic.twitter.com/TCtYhzpjdH
— NASA (@NASA) July 1, 2020
A space tourist might get a chance to join the prestigious spacewalking ranks for the right price. Let us know what you have to say about this in the comments section below! Also, don’t forget to join us on our Telegram Channel for more such latest updates and discussions.
Suryapratim Ray is an engineer, author, robotics hobbyist, and an active Quoran. Being a technical blogger, he covers the good, bad, and ugly of science on a regular basis at Sciencenews18. In addition to his passion for writing, he’s equally keen on learning classical music.