Chipstone306
New member
iss update
Spacewalk Preps, Science for Expedition 16
Image Above: Flight Engineer Yuri Malenchenko takes pictures inside the Zvezda service module. Image credit: NASA
A spacewalk early next Tuesday from the International Space Station will focus on the starboard solar arrays, managers said Wednesday. Expedition 16 Commander Peggy Whitson and Flight Engineer Dan Tani will examine the starboard Solar Alpha Rotary Joint (SARJ) and return its trundle assembly to the station's interior. The SARJ allows the paddlewheel-like rotation of the starboard arrays to follow the sun as the station orbits the Earth. It has been locked since vibration and increased current draw were noted.
Whitson and Tani also will examine the Beta Gimbal Assembly (BGA). It tilts solar wings for optimal power generation. The starboard BGA also has been locked since some power feeds to it were interrupted last Saturday.
Neither problem affects current station operations.
NASA television coverage of the spacewalk will begin at 4:30 a.m. EST.
Meanwhile, Tani and Flight Engineer Yuri Malenchenko are busy performing science on the International Space Station.
Tani is documenting his sleep patterns and light exposure for an experiment. The data is logged into a laptop computer and downlinked for scientists to evaluate on Earth. Malenchenko set up a device in the Russian docking compartment to track his eye movements while performing various exercises.
Spacewalk Preps, Science for Expedition 16
A spacewalk early next Tuesday from the International Space Station will focus on the starboard solar arrays, managers said Wednesday. Expedition 16 Commander Peggy Whitson and Flight Engineer Dan Tani will examine the starboard Solar Alpha Rotary Joint (SARJ) and return its trundle assembly to the station's interior. The SARJ allows the paddlewheel-like rotation of the starboard arrays to follow the sun as the station orbits the Earth. It has been locked since vibration and increased current draw were noted.
Whitson and Tani also will examine the Beta Gimbal Assembly (BGA). It tilts solar wings for optimal power generation. The starboard BGA also has been locked since some power feeds to it were interrupted last Saturday.
Neither problem affects current station operations.
NASA television coverage of the spacewalk will begin at 4:30 a.m. EST.
Meanwhile, Tani and Flight Engineer Yuri Malenchenko are busy performing science on the International Space Station.
Tani is documenting his sleep patterns and light exposure for an experiment. The data is logged into a laptop computer and downlinked for scientists to evaluate on Earth. Malenchenko set up a device in the Russian docking compartment to track his eye movements while performing various exercises.