NASA astronaut Shane Kimbrough and ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Thomas Pesquet conduct a spacewalk to complete work on the International Space Station on June 25, 2021. Credit: NASA
Two spacewalks scheduled for this January will see astronauts updating station hardware and searching for microorganisms on the ISS, with each walk lasting over six hours.
Two NASA astronauts are set to step outside the International Space Station (ISS) for two crucial spacewalks aimed at completing station upgrades. The first spacewalk, U.S. Spacewalk 91, is scheduled for Thursday, January 16, followed by U.S. Spacewalk 92 on Thursday, January 23.
NASA provided an overview of these missions during a news conference on Friday, January 10 from the agency’s Johnson Space Center in Houston.
Participants in the news conference from NASA Johnson include:
Bill Spetch, operations integration manager
Nicole McElroy, spacewalk flight director
Ahead of two upcoming spacewalks scheduled for January 16 and January 23, Bill Spetch, operations integration manager, International Space Station, and Nicole McElroy, spacewalk flight director, discussed the spacewalk procedures and tasks and answered questions from media and social media on January 10. During the spacewalks, two NASA astronauts will work to complete space station upgrades and maintenance and conduct science work outside the complex. Credit: NASA
First Spacewalk Details
The first spacewalk is scheduled to begin at 7 a.m. on January 16, and last about six and a half hours. NASA will provide live coverage beginning at 5:30 a.m. on NASA+.
NASA astronauts Nick Hague and Suni Williams will replace a rate gyro assembly that helps provide orientation control for the station, install patches to cover damaged areas of light filters for an X-ray telescope called NICER (Neutron star Interior Composition Explorer), and replace a reflector device used for navigational data on one of the international docking adapters. Additionally, the pair will check access areas and connector tools that will be used for future maintenance work on the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer.
Hague will serve as spacewalk crew member 1 and will wear a suit with red stripes. Williams will serve as spacewalk crew member 2 and will wear an unmarked suit. This will be the fourth for Hague and the eighth for Williams. It will be the 273rd spacewalk in support of space station assembly, maintenance, and upgrades.
Second Spacewalk Objectives
The second spacewalk is scheduled to begin at 7 a.m. on January 23, and last about six and a half hours. NASA will provide live coverage beginning at 5:30 a.m. on NASA+.
Astronauts will remove a radio frequency group antenna assembly from the station’s truss, collect samples of surface material for analysis from the Destiny laboratory and the Quest airlock to see whether microorganisms may exist on the exterior of the orbital complex, and prepare a spare elbow joint for the Canadarm2 robotic arm in the event it is needed for a replacement.
Following the completion of U.S. Spacewalk 91, NASA will name the participating crew members for U.S. Spacewalk 92. It will be the 274th spacewalk in support of space station assembly, maintenance, and upgrades.
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