Two NASA astronauts will step out into space on a mission to replace a faulty antenna system tomorrow (Dec. 2). The spacewalk was delayed after an area particles alert after accomodating for increased danger following a Russian anti-satellite test that developed a debris cloud.NASA astronauts Thomas Marshburn and Kayla Barron, who just recently got to the International Space Station aboard SpaceXs Crew Dragon spacecraft as part of the businesss Crew-3 objective, will finish a spacewalk together tomorrow. The set is set to invest about 6 and a half hours replacing an antenna system on the orbiting laboratory. You can see Barron and Marshburn finish their spacewalk live right here at Space.com thanks to NASA television or directly at NASAs YouTube channel. The spacewalk is set to start at 7:10 a.m. EDT (1210 GMT) with live protection starting at 5:30 a.m. EDT (1030 GMT). Related: NASA postpones spacewalk at area station due to space debris warningNASA astronaut Thomas Marshburn completing a spacewalk during STS-127 in 2009. (Image credit: NASA)This is Barrons very first spaceflight and it will also be her first spacewalk. Marshburn, however, is a veteran astronaut and has actually carried out several spacewalks. During the space shuttle bus mission STS-127 in 2009, Marshburn participated in three spacewalks. Throughout a later mission in 2013, after flying to the station aboard a Russian Soyuz capsule, Marshburn performed an unplanned spacewalk to deal with the possible source of an unanticipated ammonia coolant leak. For tomorrows spacewalk, the set will work together to replace an S-band Antenna Subassembly (SASA), an antenna system, with an extra version of the system that is saved on the spaceport stations truss. The 2 astronauts will operate at the P1, or Port 1, truss structure on the space station, where the antenna lies. This replacement follows the existing antenna recently stopped sending signals to Earth, which it had formerly done through NASAs Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System. The antenna issue hasnt impacted station operations much, according to a statement from NASA, however to guarantee the station has complete communications (and backup communications) offered, the spacewalk will change the system with a new one.Essentially, the antenna system can “uplink from the ground to station,” Dana Weigel, NASAs deputy manager of the International Space Station program, stated throughout a pre-spacewalk press conference held Monday (Nov. 29), “but we cant get anything back through its downlink.”During the press conference, NASA personnel noted that the defective system flew to area 21 years ago and has actually been working fine up till now. (The very first team came to the station 21 years ago, so the system has actually existed basically considering that the very start.) The replacement flew to space in 2010, 11 years earlier, and has not yet been utilized. Mitigating riskThis spacewalk comes a number of weeks after a Russian anti-satellite test against a defunct satellite produced a particles cloud near the area station, triggering the 7 team members on board to look for temporary shelter in their docked lorries. While the cloud of space debris developed by the occasion has since dissipated, the occasion however has increased the threat that a little piece of debris could possibly puncture an astronauts spacesuit, Weigel said.According to Weigel, there is normally a one-in-2,700 opportunity of a piece of area particles puncturing a spacesuit and the Russian test has actually increased this threat by 7%. Weigel added that the occasion caused the team preparing the spacewalk to quickly decide regarding what scheduled events throughout the spacewalk might require to alter in action to the included space debris and increased threat.”Theres a couple of other things that we wound up removing,” Weigel told Space.com throughout the briefing. “We had to make a choice quite early on in regards to what we were going to ask the team to prepare and study to do– so prior to we really had an understanding of the complimentary environment. We wished to be conservative.”Email Chelsea Gohd at [email protected] or follow her on Twitter @chelsea_gohd. Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom and on Facebook.
The spacewalk was postponed after a space particles alert after accomodating for increased danger following a Russian anti-satellite test that produced a particles cloud.NASA astronauts Thomas Marshburn and Kayla Barron, who just recently arrived at the International Space Station aboard SpaceXs Crew Dragon spacecraft as part of the businesss Crew-3 objective, will finish a spacewalk together tomorrow. Related: NASA postpones spacewalk at space station due to space particles warningNASA astronaut Thomas Marshburn completing a spacewalk throughout STS-127 in 2009. The antenna problem hasnt affected station operations much, according to a statement from NASA, but to make sure the station has complete communications (and backup interactions) readily available, the spacewalk will change the system with a new one.Essentially, the antenna system can “uplink from the ground to station,” Dana Weigel, NASAs deputy supervisor of the International Space Station program, said during a pre-spacewalk news conference held Monday (Nov. 29), “however we cant get anything back through its downlink. Weigel included that the occasion triggered the group planning the spacewalk to rapidly make a choice as to what arranged events during the spacewalk may need to change in response to the added area debris and increased danger.
