Sunday, December 4, 2022

ISS Update: The Orbital Outpost Has a New Set of Solar Wings...

NASA astronauts Josh Cassada (riding Canadarm2) and Frank Rubio (right of center frame) conduct an extravehicular activity to install a new roll-out solar array onto the International Space Station...on December 3, 2022.
NASA TV

Spacewalkers Complete New Solar Array Installation on Station (News Release - December 3)

Expedition 68 Flight Engineers Josh Cassada and Frank Rubio of NASA concluded their spacewalk at 2:21 p.m. EST after 7 hours and 5 minutes.

Cassada and Rubio completed their major objectives for today to install an International Space Station Roll-Out Solar Array (iROSA) and disconnect a cable to ensure the 1B channel can be reactivated. They also completed an additional task to release several bolts for the upcoming iROSA installation on the 4A power channel on the port truss.

It was the 256th spacewalk in support of space station assembly, upgrades and maintenance, and was the second spacewalk for both astronauts. Cassada and Rubio are in the midst of a planned six-month science mission living and working aboard the microgravity laboratory to advance scientific knowledge and demonstrate new technologies for future human and robotic exploration missions, including lunar missions through NASA’s Artemis program.

The next U.S. spacewalk is scheduled for Monday, December 19, to install an iROSA on the 4A power channel on the port truss. This will be the fourth iROSAs out of a total of six planned for installation.

The iROSAs will increase power-generation capability by up to 30%, increasing the station’s total available power from 160 kilowatts to up to 215 kilowatts.

Source: NASA.Gov

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Posted by Richard Par at 11:51 AM
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