Astronauts take spacewalk to swap International Space Station’s batteries
Two American astronauts are taking a spacewalk to replace ageing batteries on the International Space Station.
NASA’s Anne McClain and Nick Hague are scheduled to work in space for several hours to swap three old nickel-hydrogen batteries with more powerful lithium-ion batteries.
The duo overcame minor struggles in their first task, which involved attaching a tool bag on one of the station’s trusses for possible future use.
LIVE NOW: @AstroAnnimal and @AstroHague venture outside the @Space_Station for a #spacewalk to replace nickel-hydrogen batteries with newer, more powerful lithium-ion batteries for the power channel on one pair of the station’s solar arrays. Watch: https://t.co/QPKj6ZiZtw pic.twitter.com/CcuYqk0XIG
— NASA (@NASA) March 22, 2019
The station’s robotic arm had done much of the heavy work already, but the astronauts still have to lug 300lb adaptors the size of a large coffee table and reconnect attachments.
Even when the chore is complete, there will still be more of the 20-year-old station’s original batteries to replace.
NASA is about halfway through replacing 48 batteries with ones that are expected to last the remainder of the station’s life.
What does it take to get ready for a #spacewalk? A LOT!
Watch our EVA live tomorrow at 6:30 a.m ET: https://t.co/XruQSLUeYN pic.twitter.com/f3FZWZJEgz
— Anne McClain (@AstroAnnimal) March 21, 2019
The space station uses solar panels to generate power but the batteries are used when it is in the dark and not getting power from the sun.
The spacewalk is the first of three planned excursions to replace batteries and perform other maintenance. Next week’s spacewalk will include the first all-female crew, including Ms McClain.
