BELOW SUPERNAV drop zone ⇩

Spacewalking astronauts tackle hoses, other station odd jobs

In this image provided by NASA shows NASA astronauts Victor Glover and Mike Hopkins on a spacewalk outside the International Space Station on Saturday, March 13, 2021. The astronauts are rearranging space station plumbing and tackling other odd jobs. The work should have been completed a week ago, but power upgrades took longer than expected. (NASA via AP)

MAIN AREA TOP drop zone ⇩

MAIN AREA TOP drop zone ⇩

ovp test

mLife Diagnostics LLC: Oral Fluid Drug Testing

Male shot by female at Shreveport apartment

Class to create biodiverse backyard

Rules for outbursts at Caddo School Board Meeting

AUTO TEST CUSTOM HTML 20241114185800

AUTO TEST CUSTOM HTML 20241115200405

AUTO TEST CUSTOM HTML 20241118165728

AUTO TEST CUSTOM HTML 20241118184948

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — A pair of NASA astronauts floated out on a spacewalk Saturday to rearrange space station plumbing, careful to avoid toxic ammonia coolant still lingering in the lines.

The hose work should have been completed during a spacewalk outside the International Space Station a week ago, but was put off when power upgrades took longer than expected.

Eager to get the station improvements done before the astronauts head home this spring, Mission Control ordered up the bonus spacewalk for Victor Glover and Mike Hopkins. They teamed up for back-to-back spacewalks 1 1/2 months ago and were happy to chalk up another.

“You guys have fun out there and be safe,” Mission Control radioed as the spacewalk finally got underway, almost an hour late.

Before going out, the astronauts had to replace the communication caps beneath their helmets in order to hear properly. “I’ve got you loud and clear,” Hopkins said once the new cap was on his head.

Glover and Hopkins — who launched last November on SpaceX — had to vent a pair of ammonia jumper cables that were added years ago following a leak in the space station’s external cooling system.

NASA cautioned the astronauts to use “extra vigilance” to prevent ammonia from getting on their spacesuits and tracking it back inside. The spacewalkers had long tools to vent the hoses and were advised to stay clear of the nozzles.

Glover and Hopkins had to move one of the hoses to a more central location near the NASA hatch, in case it’s needed on the opposite end of the station.

Saturday’s other odd jobs included: replacing an antenna for helmet cameras, rerouting ethernet cables, tightening connections on a European experiment platform, and installing a metal ring on the hatch thermal cover.

It was the fifth spacewalk — and, barring an emergency, the last — for this U.S.-Russian-Japanese crew of seven.

Trademark and Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

Space

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed

Site Settings Survey

 

MAIN AREA MIDDLE drop zone ⇩

Trending on NewsNation

AUTO TEST CUSTOM HTML 20241119133138

MAIN AREA BOTTOM drop zone ⇩

tt

KC Chiefs parade shooting: 1 dead, 21 shot including 9 kids | Morning in America

Witness of Chiefs parade shooting describes suspect | Banfield

Kansas City Chiefs parade shooting: Mom of 2 dead, over 20 shot | Banfield

WWE star Ashley Massaro 'threatened' by board to keep quiet about alleged rape: Friend | Banfield

Friend of WWE star: Ashley Massaro 'spent hours' sobbing after alleged rape | Banfield

Mostly Cloudy

la

52°F Mostly Cloudy Feels like 52°
Wind
0 mph NE
Humidity
83%
Sunrise
Sunset

Tonight

Cloudy. Low near 50F. Winds light and variable.
50°F Cloudy. Low near 50F. Winds light and variable.
Wind
3 mph ENE
Precip
3%
Sunset
Moon Phase
Last Quarter