International Space Station Archives

The seven-hour spacewalk by astronauts preparing International Space Station for new solar arrays.

On 28th February 2021, two astronauts completed a seven-hour spacewalk as they started preparing the International Space Station (ISS) for new solar panels. The new solar panels will provide a major power upgrade for the orbiting lab. The spacewalkers are two NASA astronauts, namely, Kate Rubins and Victor Glover who worked outside the station to install the modification kits required for the new solar arrays. They planned to install two kits on two-mast canisters present at the base of the outpost’s current solar wing but succeeded in installing one (Space.com).

The astronauts are planning to complete the second installation in the next spacewalk. There are updates that the construction of the upper support hardware has been completed and secured. The next planned spacewalking is on 5th March as updated by NASA officials. NASA said that the older pair of solar panels (oldest installed in 2000) have started generating less power hence the required installation is taking place.

International Space Station new solar arrays

The size of these new solar arrays will be comparatively smaller due to the advancement in technology. Boeing, which is the prime contractor for the ISS operations is providing the new solar arrays with help from Spectrolab and Deployable Space Systems. NASA set that the new installations will take the help of the already existing infrastructure to deploy it. NASA planned to install these solar arrays in ISS’s 2B and 4B. The installation required a heavy installation kit and tools which came in an 8 feet long bag.

Both Kate and Victor started their work with the installation kit at the right edge of the ISS. They used a special ‘slingshot’ device to use crew safety tethers far from the core of the ISS (Space.com). The size of the installation kit is very large and hence was unable to fit out the door as mentioned by Art Thomason, spacewalk officer. The team is planning to bring the kit out in pieces and then assemble it together. The installation kit is not only large but weighs 150kg. Hence, the astronauts need to be very cautious while ringing it out to where the solar arrays are located.

Obstacles while installation

Though the astronauts don’t have to deal with gravity in space, there is mass and inertia still present. Moreover, the size of the kit is too big and they haven’t worked with much larger things before. They are expected to be very cautious especially when turning the corners. At each site of the installation, the astronauts need to use portable foot restraints and tethers to anchor in place before installing the struts. It was also in the plan to secure thermal blankets over the struts. To capture clear images, there was a video camera installed in one of the astronaut’s spacesuits.

The plan was completely not successful as one of the bolts of the first strut didn’t fully engage at the first attempt. Kate used a power drill to reset it and reach a safe configuration. Upon completing it, the astronauts installed the support for the second set of arrays which will be installed on 5th March. On the next spacewalk, Kate Rubins and Soichi Noguchi will venture into space and complete the task along with other maintenance tasks.

Boosting power in the orbiting laboratory

With time, the power generation capability of the solar arrays degrades. The first installed panels had a life of 15 years and still, they are generating power. The new solar arrays will boost the power of the station by 20 to 30 percent. Currently, there are eight solar arrays in place and they provide 160kW power. Half of them don’t operate continuously as they are used when the ISS is in orbital darkness and this takes place once in a fortnight. After all the new solar panels are installed, the station will be able to receive a total power of 215kW.

The delivery of these new solar panels will take in this year in three supply missions. They will be transported in the unpressurized trunk of the SpaceX Dragon cargo spacecraft. Installing each solar array will take two spacewalks, one for preparing and the second for installation.

Annasha

Annasha Dey is an NIT student, who apart from studying engineering is also a content writer. She has a great interest in photography, writing, reading novels, and travelling as well. She is a foodie who loves socializing and hanging out with her friends. She is also a trained Kathak dancer and a big fashion enthusiast. Dey also loves watching TV series, which includes F.R.I.E.N.D.S. and Big Bang Theory. To be a better writer she prefers to read more

NASA spots a leak on the International Space Station but says the crew is out of danger

Leave a Comment / Tech News / By Annasha

Says the crew is out of danger

NASA announced yesterday about the leak in the International Space Station (ISS). Three crew members are on board for this mission to spot the leak and take necessary measures. NASA along with the Russian partner Roscosmos are jointly looking into the matter. The three crew members including astronauts and cosmonauts will be staying in the Russian segment of the ISS. Meanwhile, NASA is working to figure out the origin of the leak that is causing the air to release more rapidly than its usual rate.

The fact that there is a leak in the ISS has been reported for a while now, but due to the numerous experiments of spaceflights, it got suppressed. Moreover, the tanks on board took care of the proper balancing pressure whenever the air escaped at a faster rate. But, NASA is now considering it as a priority to repair the leakage to prevent any major damage in the future.

Spotting the leak

The current leakage on the ISS was first suspected in September 2019. In the beginning, when the leakage was confirmed the air leakage was taking place at a comparatively lower rate. But, gradually the leakage area might have broadened resulting in a higher rate of escaping rate. But, even after they noticed that leakage is taking place at a higher rate than usual, they didn’t have enough time to look into the matter. The recent SpaceX breakthrough and several spacewalks kept NASA immensely busy.

But, with the schedule running slow in NASA, they are finally sending crew members to spot the leakage and repair it at the earliest. NASA has now collected adequate data to isolate the origin of the leakage from other parts and repair it. Through the leakage has increased, NASA confirmed that the crew members or the ISS are not in danger.

Sending crew this weekend

The three Expedition 63 crew members scheduled for this mission are Chris Cassidy (Commander, NASA astronaut), Ivan Vagner (Russian cosmonaut), and Anatoly Ivanishin (Russian cosmonaut). They will stay in the Zvezda service module in the ISS from this Friday night to Monday morning. The Zvezda module system was designed for permanent human habitation twenty years ago. Since then many astronauts from many Expedition have stayed in those quarters. During the time of their stay, the three members will have access to the Poisk-mini-research module and Soyuz MS-16 crew ship.

Since they will closely monitor the air pressure of each module; all the hatches will remain closed this weekend. The following testing of the air pressure will examine which module is facing a higher rate of leakage than usual. Both the U.S. and the Russian experts expect the results to be ready by the end of next week.

Previous major leaks

This is not the first time that leakage has been detected on the ISS. In 2018, Russia detected a small hole in one of the country’s Soyuz spacecraft. At first, they thought the damage was caused by a meteor striking the surface but after further investigation, they anticipated a drill from inside the Soyuz. Dmitry Rogozin, the head of Russia’s Roscosmos state space corporation said that they are open to considering all kinds of theories. It might have been a technical fault by an expert but the question was if it was made intentionally.

While the Roscosmos convened a State Commission to investigate the Soyuz hole, NASA declined to go into the matters deeply. Russia also anticipated that the hole might have been made on Earth, but the question is if it is true, why they detected it after such a long period. The investigation continued for quite some time. But, this was not the first time that Russia blamed another nation for the failure of a Russian aircraft.

With another recent leakage coming into the scenario, history might repeat itself. But, let’s hope that the crew members will safely reach earth after repairing the hole.

Annasha

NASA and SpaceX to Take to the Skies in Mid-May

Leave a Comment / start-up, Tech News / By Athulya

Ever since we began colonizing the Earth, we have been fantasized by the skies. Throughout our history as a race, we have been attempting to make sense of our skies and understand why the world is the way it is. This culminated with the Space Race that saw the USSR and US fight for supremacy when it came to interstellar travel and exploration. With science and technology progressing even further, the race to identify the secrets of our universe has only gotten more competitive. Elon Musk’s SpaceX is one of the largest private players in the field of space exploration, and they have recently released some exciting news. Here’s a look at what NASA and SpaceX had to say and what impact it will have on the space industry.

Taking to the Skies

NASA and SpaceX have released a statement which states that they are planning to launch their first manned flight somewhere between mid and late May. This comes as a surprise as most experts had felt that the COVID-19 would push dates further back. However, both NASA and SpaceX have issued a media invite on Wednesday regarding their Demo-2 launch. This will be the world’s first commercial manned crew launch into space. The invite has also specified a time frame that says that the mission will be completed by no later than mid-May, much to the excitement of fans from all over the world.

While reports which came out in January had stated that the launch would occur sometime in May or late April, people had expected the Coronavirus to have changed this date. With production facilities having been hit due to the virus, most experts were expecting a shift in dates. While SpaceX started early, readying their Crew Dragon spacecraft for the mission, NASA had to make a few changes in the mission parameters. These changes include a longer stay for the crew at the International Space Station. The crew consists of experienced astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley.

Universal Collaboration

SpaceX will be the world’s first private company to launch a manned space mission, and NASA is helping the company ready their team and machinery. The conveyance of astronauts from and to the International Space Station occurs successfully thanks to a partnership with the Roscosmos agency. This Russian initiative makes use of the Soyuz spacecraft to fly astronauts for ISS. While people were expecting a change in dates, this confirmation from NASA has proven that the mission is still very much on. Furthermore, NASA has moved facilities into Stage 3, meaning that their employees will be on telework unless specifically required at their facilities physically for any mission-related work. Meanwhile, their Ames facility has been taken up to Stage 4, due to California county implementing a shelter-in-place order. This essentially means that the facility is temporarily closed with all personnel working from their homes via telework.

In the new invite which came out yesterday, NASA has stated that they will continue to monitor the COVID-19 situation and will keep communicating updates as and when required. Reports also state that the organization is doing everything it can protect Hurley and Behnken by following standard isolation procedures so that they don’t get sick before the flight.

Brighter Future

This will be the first crewed launch from US soil to the International Space Station ever since 2011. SpaceX will reportedly be using the Falcon 9 rocket to transport astronauts Behnken and Hurley as it tries its level best to cut unnecessary costs. In March, the Crew Dragon had circumnavigated the ISS, almost 400 kilometers above the Earth. However, the capsule contained only a mannequin inside and returned to the Atlantic after spending six days in space. Ever since, 2011 Americans have not launched any manned missions, with Russians handling most of the manned flights. This will be changed by this joint venture between SpaceX and NASA. SpaceX has made over 15 trips to the ISS for refueling the station ever since 2012. However, SpaceX is not the only private company that is helping NASA with space exploration, because even Boeing is developing their Starliner capsule, after having won a contract. The Falcon 9 rocket will launch from Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida with Dragon spacecraft onboard. If the Demo-2 launch proves to be successful, SpaceX will become officially certified to launch people into space.

Athulya

Being a cinephile with a love for all things outdoorsy, Athulya never misses a chance to chase inspiring stories or poke fun at things, even when the subject is herself. Currently pursuing a degree in mechanical engineering, she is someone innately interested in technical and scientific research. Music reviews and op-eds define her as they allow her to explore different perspectives. Though sometimes she thinks she makes more sense playing the guitar than she does while writing.

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