NASA Sends Two Astronauts on Surprise Spacewalk to Conduct Emergency Repairs
It's one thing to send out computers and machines to different planets and it's another thing to send out people into the deep and vast space. Both are complicated but risks are higher for human beings who are not made to stay in an environment where oxygen is nonexistent. But on Tuesday, May 23, NASA astronauts will be putting on their space suits to go on a spacewalk to repair an integral component of a computer.
According to Space, the emergency and resulting impromptu spacewalk was caused by a failed device known as multiplexer/demultiplexer (MDM) and that NASA astronauts Peggy Whitson and Jack Fischer will be responsible for Tuesday's mission.
The MDM is one of two fully redundant house systems and it is responsible for controlling other station hardware such as radiators and cooling loops. The upgrade of the MDM failed on Saturday and the approval to do the spacewalk followed soon after. According to NASA, the agenda on May 23 will also include another mission for Fischer.
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"Tuesday's spacewalk will last about two hours in duration to replace the failed box. An additional task was added for Fischer to install a pair of wireless communications antennas on the Destiny Lab while Whitson replaces the failed data relay box. The antenna installation task was originally planned for the last spacewalk on May 12," NASA said in a statement.
Whitson, who is now a station commander, was the one installed the MDM earlier this year. The emergency spacewalk will be her 10th during her entire career while this will only be Fischer's second. The pair's last spacewalk together was conducted last May 12 during the landmark 200th spacewalk at the International Space Station. Whitson holds the record for the most spacewalks conducted by a woman.
The surprise spacewalk will happen on Tuesday, May 23 at 8 a.m. EDT. Live coverage, which will be provided by NASA Television, starts at 6:30 a.m. EDT.
