On Friday, Jan. 6 and Friday, Jan. 13, astronauts on
the International Space Station
will step outside to perform spacewalks.
What’s
a spacewalk? It’s any time an astronaut gets out of a vehicle or spacecraft while in
space. It can also be called an EVA (extravehicular activity).
Astronauts go on spacewalks for many reasons. These
activities allow crew members to work outside their spacecraft (in this case the space
station).
So what
specific tasks will astronauts perform in these two upcoming spacewalks?
Let’s take a look…
Both spacewalks are being performed to upgrade the
orbital outpost’s power system.
NASA astronauts Shane Kimbrough and Peggy Whitson
will perform the first spacewalk on Jan. 6. The work will continue Jan. 13
during the second spacewalk, which will be conducted by Kimbrough and ESA
astronaut Thomas Pesquet.
Prior to each spacewalk, the new batteries will be
robotically extracted from a pallet to replace 12 older nickel-hydrogen
batteries through a series of robotic operations.
Watch LIVE Spacewalk Coverage
Friday,
Jan. 6 Coverage begins at 5:30 a.m. EST, with astronauts
venturing outside at 7 a.m. Watch HERE
Friday,
Jan. 13 Coverage begins at 5:30 a.m. EST, with astronauts
venturing outside at 7 a.m. Watch HERE
