Cosmonauts on spacewalk prepared new Russian docking port for upcoming area station arrivals
Russia’s new multi-port docking module at the Global Room Station is now ready to get its initially spacecraft following two cosmonauts completed a seven-hour spacewalk.
Anton Shkaplerov, commander of the space station’s Expedition 66 crew, and Pyotr Dubrov, equally of Roscosmos, exited the orbiting outpost on Wednesday (Jan. 19) to operate cables to and configure the new Prichal module to be made use of by potential Soyuz crew spacecraft and Development cargo motor vehicles. The spacewalk began at 7:17 a.m. EST (1217 GMT) as the two cosmonauts opened the hatch of the Poisk mini-study module on the place-experiencing facet of the station’s Russian segment.
Once outside the house, Shkaplerov and Dubrov deployed the Strela telescoping growth, a 46-foot-extended (14 meters) manually operated crane, which they both of those utilised to traverse Poisk and the multi-purpose laboratory module Nauka to attain their worksite beside Prichal. The new module, which provides five open up docking ports, was released to the Worldwide Place Station and connected to Nauka in November.
Cosmonauts Anton Shkaplerov (in foreground with red striped spcesuit) and Pyotr Dubrov of Roscosmos operate exterior Russia’s Prichal multi-port docking module all through a spacewalk outside of the International Place Station on Wednesday, Jan. 19, 2022. (Picture credit: NASA/Mark Vande Hei)
Shkaplerov and Dubrov labored pretty shut to program as they accomplished the tasks to give electric power, communications and route knowledge to and from Prichal and the relaxation of the area station. The two cosmonauts uncovered and tied down handrails to support foreseeable future spacewalks, related cables and put in antennas for the “Kurs” automatic docking system, as effectively as repositioned a Tv set camera to provide coverage of the functions outside the house the new module.
“Really don’t problems the difficulties until the difficulties problems you,” suggested a flight controller in Mission Manage Moscow right after the spacewalkers encountered a transient snag hoping to install tether guards on the new handrails.
Right after a short pause, the tether guard was efficiently secured.
Cosmonauts Anton Shkaplerov (in foreground with red striped spacesuit) and Pyotr Dubrov of Roscosmos do the job outside the house Russia’s Prichal multi-port docking module in the course of a spacewalk exterior of the Global House Station on Wednesday, Jan. 19, 2022. (Impression credit score: NASA/Mark Vande Hei)
Shkaplerov and Dubrov also put in docking targets to be utilized by spacecraft approaching Prichal. Soyuz MS-21, scheduled for start in mid-March, is predicted to be to start with to dock with the new module, bringing with it 3 Russian cosmonauts to be part of the station’s Expedition 67 crew.
At situations through the spacewalk, Shkaplerov and Dubrov jettisoned thermal covers, containers and antennas that they eliminated from Prichal or had been no for a longer time wanted. The used hardware was pitched overboard reverse the route that the house station was touring to stay away from their becoming reencountered in orbit. The covers and antennas will eventually fall back again to Earth and melt away up on getting into the atmosphere.
The spacewalk finished at 2:28 p.m. EST (1928 GMT) after 7 hrs, 11 minutes.
Cosmonaut Anton Shkaplerov (at left) jettisons a container (floating away at decreased correct) soon after putting in the docking targets it when held for Russia’s Prichal multi-port docking module. Shkaplerov and Pytor Dubrov readied Prichal for long term going to spacecraft all through a spacewalk exterior of the Intercontinental Place Station on Wednesday, Jan. 19, 2022. (Graphic credit rating: NASA Tv)
Wednesday’s spacewalk was the third in Shkaplerov’s profession and fourth for Dubrov. Shkaplerov has now logged 21 hours and 39 minutes performing in the vacuum of house. Dubrov’s overall is now 29 several hours, 49 minutes.
This was the initially extravehicular exercise (EVA) at the International Place Station in 2022 and the 246th for Intercontinental Room Station assembly, servicing and upgrades because design started in 1998.
