May 1, 2024

Space Station Crew Preparing for Spacewalks As SpaceX Cargo Dragon Launch Nears

Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergey Prokopyev and Dmitri Petelin conduct a six-hour and 25-minute spacewalk on November 17, 2022, in their Orlan spacesuits to transfer a radiator from the Rassvet module to the Nauka multipurpose laboratory module for future setup. In the other set of spacewalks, team members will be deploying a radiator and installing an airlock on the Nauka multipurpose lab module.
After Dragon is docked to the Harmony modules space-facing, or zenith port, robotics controllers on the ground will command the Canadarm2 robotic arm to separate and get rid of the roll-out solar ranges from Dragons unpressurized trunk. The duo, with support from European robotic arm operator Anna Kikina, will relocate a radiator from the Rassvet module to the Nauka science module.

A SpaceX Cargo Dragon spacecraft docked to the International Space Station. Credit: NASA
Amongst the products loaded inside the SpaceX Dragon cargo craft at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida are the roll-out solar arrays. Dragon is scheduled to take off atop the companys Falcon 9 rocket at 3:54 p.m. EST (12:54 p.m. PST) on Tuesday and come to the station for an automated docking at 5:57 a.m. on Wednesday. Dragon is likewise providing new space agriculture and biotechnology studies, in addition to food, fuel, and crew materials. NASA TELEVISION, on the firms app and site, starts its launch coverage at 3:30 p.m. on Tuesday and docking protection at 4:30 a.m. on Wednesday.
After Dragon is docked to the Harmony modules space-facing, or zenith port, robotics controllers on the ground will command the Canadarm2 robotic arm to remove and remove the roll-out solar ranges from Dragons unpressurized trunk. The controllers will remotely assist the Canadarm2 to stage the roll-out solar arrays on truss structure accessory points. From there the spacewalkers will access the solar varieties to begin the upcoming setup work.
Leader Sergey Prokopyev and Flight Engineer Dmitri Petelin, both from Roscosmos, spent Monday setting up the Poisk airlock, organizing tools, and studying procedures for their 2nd spacewalk together. It is prepared to start at 6:15 a.m. on Friday, November 25. The duo, with support from European robotic arm operator Anna Kikina, will move a radiator from the Rassvet module to the Nauka science module. The Roscosmos spacewalkers prepared the radiator for its moving during a spacewalk on November 17.

Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergey Prokopyev and Dmitri Petelin conduct a six-hour and 25-minute spacewalk on November 17, 2022, in their Orlan spacesuits to transfer a radiator from the Rassvet module to the Nauka multipurpose lab module for future setup. The duo is imagined tethered to the Rassvet module with the Soyuz MS-22 crew ship docked at top. Credit: NASA
On the International Space Station on Monday, November 21, the Expedition 68 team continued getting ready for more spacewalks prior to completion of the year. In the meantime, a U.S. freight craft is counting down to its launch today to resupply the seven-member crew presently living aboard the orbiting laboratory.
2 astronauts and two cosmonauts are preparing for 5 spacewalks to be carried out outside the area station in less than 2 months. One set of spacewalks is made up of jobs required to enhance the stations power generation system. In the other set of spacewalks, crew members will be releasing a radiator and installing an airlock on the Nauka multipurpose lab module.
Throughout a spacewalk on November 15, NASA Flight Engineers Josh Cassada and Frank Rubio prepared the station for brand-new roll-out solar varieties by putting together an installing bracket on the stations starboard truss structure. On November 29, a set of spacewalkers (soon to be called by mission supervisors) will set up the roll-out solar selections on the new installing bracket. On Monday, Flight Engineers Nicole Mann and Koichi Wakata evaluated the robotics procedures necessary to support the effective setup of the solar ranges