NASA Space Station On-Orbit Status 16 July, 2020 – Spacewalk Completed
NASA astronauts Chris Cassidy and Robert Behnken concluded their spacewalk at 1:10 p.m. EDT, after six hours.
The two NASA astronauts completed all the work to replace batteries that provide power for the station’s solar arrays on the starboard truss of the complex. The new batteries provide an improved and more efficient power capacity for operations.
The spacewalkers removed six aging nickel-hydrogen batteries for the second of two power channels for the starboard 6 (S6) truss, installed three new lithium-ion batteries, and installed the three associated adapter plates that are used to complete the power circuit to the new batteries. Mission control reports that all three new batteries are working.
The work nearly completes a 3.5-year effort to upgrade the International Space Station’s power system. At completion, 24 new lithium-ion batteries and adapter plates will replace 48 aging nickel-hydrogen batteries. In April 2019, one of the newly installed lithium-ion batteries on the near port truss blew a fuse, so two nickel-hydrogen batteries were re-installed to take its place. A new replacement lithium-ion battery arrived to the space station in January 2020 aboard the SpaceX Dragon on its 19th commercial resupply services mission and is stowed on the station’s truss until it can be installed during a future spacewalk later this year.
Behnken and Cassidy are scheduled to conduct one more spacewalk Tuesday, July 21, during which they will remove two lifting fixtures used for ground processing of the station’s solar arrays prior to their launch. They’ll also begin preparing the Tranquility module for the installation of a commercial airlock provided by NanoRacks and scheduled to arrive on a SpaceX cargo flight later this year. The airlock will be used to deploy commercial and government-sponsored experiments into space.
This was the ninth spacewalk for each astronaut. Behnken has now spent a total of 55 hours and 41 minutes spacewalking. Cassidy now has spent a total of 49 hours and 22 minutes spacewalking.
Space station crew members have conducted 230 spacewalks in support of assembly and maintenance of the orbiting laboratory. Spacewalkers have now spent a total of 60 days, 6 hours, and 34 minutes working outside the station.
On-Orbit Status Report
Systems
USOS Extravehicular Activity (EVA) #67/S6 Battery EVA #3: Bob Behnken (EV1) and Chris Cassidy (EV2) performed a 6 hour EVA that completed the following tasks in support of the S6 Channel 3B battery transition from nickel hydrogen to lithium-ion batteries:
S3 Boom Install
NiH2 Battery 1 from S6 Integrated Equipment Assembly (IEA) to External Pallet (EP)
Li-Ion Battery F from EP to S6 IEA Slot 1
NiH2 Battery 2 from S6 IEA to EP / Adapter Plate F from EP to S6 IEA Slot 2
NiH2 Battery 3 from S6 IEA Slot 3 to Adapter Plate F in Slot 2
Li-Ion Battery E from EP to S6 IEA Slot 3
NiH2 Battery 4 from S6 IEA to EP / Adapter Plate E from EP to S6 IEA Slot 4
NiH2 Battery 6 from S6 IEA slot 6 to Adapter Plate E
Li-Ion Battery C from EP to S6 IEA Slot 6
NiH2 Battery 5 from S6 IEA to EP (get ahead)
Adapter Plate C from EP to S6 IEA Slot 5 (get ahead)
The ground team was able to successfully checkout all 3 newly installed lithion-ion batteries. As a result of the getahead tasks the EV crew completed, ground teams can begin to power up the 3B Channel.
Completed Task List Activities:
None
Today’s Ground Activities:
All activities are complete unless otherwise noted.
Ground Support for EVA #67
Look Ahead Plan
Friday, 7/17 (GMT 199)
Payloads:
Food Physiology Brief (NASA)
Systems:
Post-EVA PHS Exams
EMU Water Recharge
EVA Procedure Review/Debrief Conference
Recycle Tank Drain/Fill
UPA Brine Filter Gather/R&R
Saturday, 7/18 (GMT 200)
Payloads:
Off Duty Day
Systems:
USOS Shutter Close
EVA Camera Port 3 Bag Prep
EVA METOX Ops
Sunday, 7/19 (GMT 201)
Payloads:
No Payload Activities
Systems:
EVA Procedure Review/Conference
RELL RITS Install
EVA Tool Config
EVA Cuff C/L Print
(EVA) Kapton Tape Scraper (KaTS) Build
Today’s Planned Activities:
All activities are complete unless otherwise noted.
NEUROIMMUNITET. Saliva sample collection. Pamyat (Memory) test. Photography. Data Transfer
USOS Extravehicular Activity (EVA) Communication Configuration/Deconfiguration
ISS HAM Radio Power Down in Columbus
EVA COTS UHF Communication Unit (CUCU) Verify off
ISS HAM Radio Power Down in Service Module
Extravehicular Activity (EVA) In-Suit Light Exercise (ISLE) Preparation
Regeneration of Micropurification unit (???) ?1 and ?1 cartridge
Checking cover closure on SM windows 6, 8, 9, 12, 13, 14
Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU) Purge
Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU) In-Suit Light Exercise (ISLE) Prebreathe
Weekly changeout of RS video recording equipment
Crewlock Depress
Filling (degassing) ??? [???] for Elektron or ???-[??]
Crewlock Post Depress
Crewlock Egress
SSRMS EVA Setup
S3 Boom Install
EVA Worksite Preparation
Move Battery 1 to EP Z
SSRMS EVA Support
Move Battery F to Slot 1
Move Battery 2 to EP F / AP F to Slot 2
??-2 Semi-Annual Maintenance
Move Battery 3 to AP F Slot 2
Move Battery E to Slot 3
Move Battery 4 to EP E/ AP E to Slot 4
Move Battery 6 to AP E Slot 4
Nikon camera sync with station time
Move Battery C to Slot 6
EVA Crew Lock Ingress
EVA Glove Photo Setup
Crewlock Pre Repress
Crewlock Repress
Extra Vehicular Activity (EVA) Post-EVA Activities
EVA Glove Photo Downlink
Photo/TV Extravehicular Activity (EVA) Camera Disassembly
Photo/TV Extravehicular Activity (EVA) GoPro Downlink
