Astronauts Josh Cassada and Frank Rubio floated outside the International Space Station Saturday to install a third set of roll-out solar array blankets as part of an ongoing power system upgrade.
Astronauts Josh Cassada and Frank Rubio floated outside the International Space Station Saturday to install a third set of roll-out solar array blankets, part of an ongoing power system upgrade, and to isolate damaged circuits in one of the lab's original arrays.
Frank Rubio, wearing an unmarked spacesuit, and Josh Cassada, wearing a suit with red stripes, prepare to install a new roll-out solar array blanket on the International Space Station, the third of six needed to augment the output of the lab's aging original-equipment arrays.The goal of the excursion is to install a new set of ISS Roll-Out Solar Array blankets — IROSAs — that were carried to the space station aboard a SpaceX Dragon cargo ship last month.
The first set of original-equipment blankets, located on the left end of the station's power truss, has been in operation for more than 20 years. Subsequent wings were added in 2006, 2007 and 2009. All of them have suffered degradation from years in the space environment and they do not generate as much power as they did when they were new.
The second new IROSA will be attached to an inboard left-side array during a December 19 spacewalk to boost power channel 4A. A final set of IROSAs are scheduled for delivery to the station next year. The IROSA blankets, about half the size of the original arrays, are more efficient and will eventually generate an additional 120 kilowatts of power. They were designed to be mounted on brackets at the base of an existing wing, extending outward at a 10-degree angle to minimize the shade they cast on the array below.
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