The American astronauts Michael Hopkins and Victor Glover left the International Space Station (ISS) on Wednesday to carry out tasks that include the installation of cables and antenna of the “Bartolomeo” platform in the Columbus module of the European Space Agency (ESA).
Hopkins, on their third spacewalk, and Glover, on his first, arrived at the ISS on November 15 aboard SpaceX’s Crew Dragon Resilience vehicle and, on their outside work day, will also set up a Ka-band terminal. which will allow an independent high-bandwidth link with European ground stations.
The spacewalkers are working on antenna cable connection and heater issues right now on @ESA's #Bartolomeo science platform. #AskNASA | https://t.co/yuOTrYN8CV pic.twitter.com/6FvkNpXyuS
— International Space Station (@Space_Station) January 27, 2021
The “Bartolomeo” platform will simultaneously host up to twelve scientific experiments in areas such as astrophysics, robotics and materials physics, the US space agency NASA reported.
ISS Crew 64 has at least three other outside work days on their schedule including Hopkins and Glover on Monday, February 1 for the installation of a lithium ion battery adapter plate, completing four years of crucial upgrades. of the batteries of the orbital complex.
Other tasks on the astronaut duo’s excursion Monday include the removal of a grab bar, the installation of two cameras, and the replacement of components for the Japanese robotic arm’s camera system outside the Kibo module of the Japan Space Exploration Agency. (JAXA).
On the next excursion, for which a date has not yet been announced, Glover and American astronaut Kate Rubins will prepare the ISS power system for a power boost using a new array of photovoltaic cells that draw energy from the Sun.
And finally Rubins and Japanese astronaut Soichi Noguchi will work on other updates outside the ISS at a date to be determined.
In-orbit construction of the ISS began in November 1998, and the 420-ton structure, 73 meters long and 110 meters wide, moves at about 27,600 kilometers per hour and completes its Earth orbit every 93 minutes.
