Double Spacewalk Extravaganza Planned by NASA for Space Station!

Two astronauts from NASA will exit the International Space Station, undertaking US Spacewalk 91 on January 16 and US Spacewalk 92 on January 23 to finalize station enhancements.

The initial spacewalk is set to commence at 11.00 pm (AEDT) on January 16 and will last approximately six and a half hours. NASA will offer live coverage beginning at 9.30 pm on its various streaming services.

NASA astronauts Nick Hague and Suni Williams will swap out a rate gyro assembly that assists with orientation control for the station, install patches to repair damaged sections of light filters for an X-ray telescope known as NICER (Neutron star Interior Composition Explorer), and replace a reflector device intended for navigational data on one of the international docking adapters.

Moreover, the duo will inspect access points and connector tools designated for future maintenance tasks on the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer.

Hague will be designated as spacewalk crew member 1 and will don a suit marked with red stripes. Williams will be designated as spacewalk crew member 2 and will wear a suit without markings. This will be the fourth outing for Hague and the eighth for Williams. It will mark the 273rd spacewalk contributing to space station assembly, upkeep, and enhancements.

The second spacewalk is scheduled to start at 11.00 pm (EADT) on January 23 and will also last around six and a half hours. NASA will again provide live coverage beginning at 9.30 pm on its platforms.

The astronauts will detach a radio frequency group antenna assembly from the station’s truss, gather samples of surface material for examination from the Destiny laboratory and the Quest airlock to determine if microorganisms might be present on the exterior of the orbital complex, and prepare a spare elbow joint for the Canadarm2 robotic arm in case it becomes necessary for replacement.

Following the conclusion of US Spacewalk 91, NASA will announce the crew members participating in US Spacewalk 92. It will represent the 274th spacewalk supporting the assembly, maintenance, and upgrades of the space station.