Watch Stay as NASA Astronauts Take On a Uncommon All-Lady Spacewalk Exterior the ISS

Two astronauts are gearing up for some orbital upkeep work outdoors the Worldwide Area Station (ISS) throughout a uncommon all-woman spacewalk.

NASA astronauts Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers are set to start their spacewalk on Thursday at 8 a.m. ET, exiting the area station for a deliberate six hours and 35 minutes. NASA will broadcast the spacewalk stay on NASA+ and the company’s YouTube channel. You may also tune in via the stay feed under.

Throughout their spacewalk, the astronauts will work to relocate an area station communications antenna and set up a mounting bracket forward of the set up of a further set of ISS Rollout Photo voltaic Arrays, additionally known as IROSA. The arrays might be put in throughout one other upcoming spacewalk. IROSA is designed to spice up energy era functionality on the ISS by as much as 30%, which might enhance the station’s complete obtainable energy from 160 kilowatts to as much as 215 kilowatts, in keeping with NASA. The pair will even work to improve the station’s energy methods whereas tethered to the ISS.

Up to now, astronauts have carried out 5 all-women spacewalks outdoors the ISS. The primary came about almost six years in the past after a number of delays resulting from a poorly becoming spacesuit. Lastly, on October 18, 2019, NASA astronauts Christina Koch and Jessica Meir stepped outside of the ISS for a historic spacewalk that cemented the position of ladies in spaceflight. Earlier this yr, NASA astronaut Suni Williams broke the women’s record for total spacewalking time after finishing a 5.5-hour spacewalk outdoors the ISS, bringing her complete spacewalking time to 62 hours and 6 minutes.

Thursday’s spacewalk would be the first time astronaut Ayers has stepped outdoors the ISS for extravehicular exercise and McClain’s third spacewalk.