Spacewalking astronauts replace International Space Station batteries
Spacewalking astronauts are conducting more battery work outside the International Space Station.
NASA astronauts Nick Hague and Christina Koch floated outside, a week after the first spacewalk to install new and stronger batteries for the station’s solar power grid.
Ms Koch was supposed to go out with Anne McClain, but there weren’t enough medium suits readily available, so the first all-female spacewalk had to be scrapped.
.@AstroHague and @Astro_Christina began their spacewalk today at 7:42am ET to upgrade the station’s power systems. #AskNASA | https://t.co/gRfO4Ju8AP pic.twitter.com/OljghqV7OK
— Intl. Space Station (@Space_Station) March 29, 2019
A third spacewalk is planned for April 8, but that will also be mixed gender.
The space station’s outdated nickel-hydrogen batteries are being replaced with lithium-ion batteries.
The new batteries store power collected by the solar wings and keep the outpost running when it is on the night side of Earth.
Mr Hague and Ms Koch arrived at the space station two weeks ago.
