Two cosmonauts continued the outfitting of a model new module outside the Worldwide Home Station on what was the fiftieth deliberate spacewalk to originate from the Russian part of the orbiting outpost.
For the second time in seven days, Expedition 65 flight engineers Oleg Novitskiy and Pyotr Dubrov, every of the Russian federal space firm Roscosmos, donned Orlan spacesuits and exited the Poisk airlock at 10:51 a.m. EDT (1451 GMT) on Thursday (Sept. 9) to start out routing cables for the model new multipurpose laboratory module (MLM), or “Nauka” (“Science”).
Deciding on up the place they left off on the end of their spacewalk on Sept. 3, Novitskiy and Dubrov photographed the antennas on a Progress cargo craft docked to the world station, put in 4 handrails to ease maneuvers on future spacewalks and routed an ethernet cable to permit information to run from the U.S. working part to experiments on the pores and skin of the model new module.
Related: Tour Russia’s new Nauka space station module with these astronaut home movies
The disc-shaped cowl from an ethernet cable reel was jettisoned by Expedition 65 flight engineers Oleg Novitskiy and Pyotr Dubrov all through a spacewalk on Thursday, Sept. 9, 2021. (Image credit score rating: NASA TV)
Although the ethernet cable was effectively mated, Novitskiy and Dubrov ran into some subject with the cable reel’s flat spherical lid. As quickly because the quilt was freed from the cable, there was a fast debate about whether or not or to not jettison it as initially deliberate or tie all of it the way in which right down to the skin of the module.
“This manner is sort of robust,” considered one of many spacewalkers acknowledged. “Such an incredible merchandise.”
“And that’s the place the flying saucer legends come from,” the cosmonaut joked.
A name was made to shortly stow the disc after which jettison it with totally different reuse on the end of the spacewalk.
Expedition 65 flight engineer Oleg Novitskiy, as seen from fellow cosmonaut Pyotr Dubrov’s helmet cam, all through a spacewalk on Thursday, Sept. 9, 2021. (Image credit score rating: NASA TV)
Novitskiy and Dubrov then moved on to working further cable bundles, this time to connect the TV strategies and information traces between the Nauka the Zvezda service modules, along with one linking up the automated docking strategies for future visiting Russian spacecraft, along with the Progress and crewed Soyuz cars.
The two cosmonauts then deployed two bio-risk containers which will obtain information on any bodily or genetic changes to micro organism, fungi and totally different microorganisms after being uncovered to the vacuum of space. The experiment is focused on increased understanding contaminants that would presumably be a component on interplanetary spacecraft.
Expedition 65 flight engineer Oleg Novitskiy jettisoned a disc-shaped cable reel lid and piece of multi-layer insulation on the end of his and cosmonaut Pytor Dubrov’s spacewalk outside the Worldwide Home Station on Thursday, Sept. 9, 2021. (Image credit score rating: NASA TV)
Novitskiy and Dubrov wrapped up their spacewalk by jettisoning the ethernet cable reel cowl and a little bit of multi-layer insulation moreover eradicated all through the spacewalk. The 7-hour, 25-minute spacewalk ended at 6:16 p.m. EDT (2216 GMT), as a result of the airlock hatch on the Poisk module was closed.
Autonomously docked to the world station on July 29, the Nauka MLM will current Russian cosmonauts with an expanded area to conduct science and may operate a docking port and airlock for Russian spacewalks. The module may even house an additional crew quarters and a third rest room for the station’s residents.
Expedition 65 flight engineer Pyotr Dubrov, as seen from fellow cosmonaut Oleg Novitskiy’s helmet cam, all through a spacewalk on Thursday, Sept. 9, 2021. (Image credit score rating: NASA TV)
Thursday’s spacewalk was the third for every Novitskiy and Dubrov. Novitskiy was designated extravehicular crew member 1 (EV1) and wore the Russian Orlan spacesuit with pink stripes. Dubrov, as EV2, wore a spacesuit with blue stripes.
This was Russia’s fiftieth deliberate spacewalk and 58th whole carried out using Orlan spacesuits outside of the Worldwide Home Station. In entire, astronauts and cosmonauts have carried out 243 extravehicular actions (EVA) in help of the assembly and maintenance of the orbiting laboratory.
Robert Pearlman is a Home.com contributing writer and the editor of collectSPACE.com, a Home.com confederate site and the principle space historic previous info publication. Adjust to collectSPACE on Fb and on Twitter at @collectSPACE. Adjust to us @Spacedotcom and Fb.
