International Space Station gets new tech after scary spacewalk by NASA astronauts

Two NASA astronauts have completed their spacewalk outside the International Space Station to set up some new technology - a Solar Array.

By: HT TECH
| Updated on: Dec 04 2022, 14:21 IST
NASA Voyager 1 completes 45 years in space! And still solving mysteries
International Space Station
1/6 Voyager 1, the second of a twin spacecraft, was lifted off on September 5, 1977. For the journey, the Voyagers planned to use Jupiter’s gravity to ship them on to explore Saturn and its large moon Titan. (NASA)
International Space Station
2/6 On August 20, 1977, Voyager 2 was launched into space. NASA informed that each Voyager carried a suite of 11 instruments to study the planets during each encounter and to learn more about interplanetary space in the outer reaches of the solar system. (NASA)
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3/6 Two weeks after the launch of Voyager 1, it turned its camera back toward its home planet and took the first single-frame image of the Earth-Moon system. Also, the spacecraft successfully traversed the asteroid belt between December 10, 1977, and September 8, 1978. The asteroid belt is the area where most of the asteroid lies. (NASA)
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4/6 Voyager 1 conducted its observations of Jupiter between January 6 and April 13, 1979, making its closest approach of 216837 miles from the planet’s center on March 5. During this observation, the spacecraft shared 19000 images of the giant which even confirmed the presence of a thin ring encircling it. (NASA)
International Space Station
5/6 Not just Jupiter, Voyager 1 began its observations of Saturn in 1980 and concluded its studies on December 14. During the encounter, the spacecraft shared 16000 images, including Saturn, its rings, and many other satellites. (NASA)
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6/6 Moreover, Voyager 1 became the most distant human-made object. It also shared a mosaic of 60 images, which captured six planets of the solar system, including a pale blue dot called Earth from a distance of more than 3.7 billion miles. (NASA)
International Space Station
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NASA astronauts successfully install a solar array on the space station. Know its importance. (NASA)

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)'s astronauts on Expedition 68 have completed a spacewalk aboard the International Space Station. American astronauts Josh Cassada and Frank Rubio were tasked with installing an International Space Station Roll-Out Solar Array (iROSA) to augment power generation for the 4A power channel on the station's starboard structure. In addition to that, they aimed to disconnect a cable to allow the 1B power channel to be reactivated after it was shut down due to a power trip in its electrical system.

NASA shared the video on its Twitter handle "Can we fix it? Yes, we can. Astronauts Josh Cassada and Frank Rubio have successfully installed Roll-Out Solar Array on the starboard truss structure of the @Space_Station. They have also disconnected a cable allowing restoring a power channel to 75% of its operating capacity." Flight Engineers Josh Cassada and Frank Rubio of NASA's Expedition 68 concluded their spacewalk at 2:21 PM EST after 7 hours and 5 minutes, NASA has informed in a blog post.

Overall, it was the 256th spacewalk in order to upgrade, maintain and support the space station assembly. While, it was the second spacewalk for these two astronauts during the six-month-long science mission. After this successful spacewalk, the next scheduled spacewalk is expected on Monday, December 19 to install an iROSA on the 4A power channel on the port truss, which will be the 4th out of a total of six planned iROSAs for installation.

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Why are these Solar Arrays important for the Expedition 68 mission? NASA explained that it will help to increase power generation capability by up to 30 percent. Resultantly, the total available power of the station will witness a steep increase from 160 kilowatts to up to 215 kilowatts.

More about Expedition 68

Expedition 68 mission began in September 2022 and will end in March, 2023, which includes research investigations focused on biology, Earth science, human research, physical sciences and technology development. The observation will provide the foundation for continuing human spaceflight beyond low Earth orbit to the Moon and Mars.

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First Published Date: 04 Dec, 14:20 IST
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