The image at right appeared in countless pop art installations (including my brother’s) from 1966 through the late 1970s. It is truly iconic, of the early US “Space Age”.
And now, counting space walks at ISS alone (not counting Space Shuttle or Apollo or later Gemini walks), we will see this as the two hundred and eightieth extra vehicular activity, or space walk — if you like. Very cool — here’s tomorrow’s expected web-cast schedule, and some more narrative background info, on the walk:
…NASA astronauts Chris Williams and Jessica Meir will exit the station’s Quest airlock to replace a wrist joint that malfunctioned during normal Canadarm2 operations on May 27 after the arm drew elevated motor current and did not move as expected.
Watch NASA’s live U.S. spacewalk 95 coverage beginning at 7 a.m. EDT on NASA+, Amazon Prime, Netflix, and the agency’s YouTube channel. The spacewalk is expected to last roughly six-and-a-half hours.
NASA worked alongside CSA to understand the issue and determined a spacewalk was required to replace the joint using a spare already aboard the space station. Repairs to robotics, like Canadarm2, are normal and expected after more than 25 years of continuous operations, as the system was designed with replaceable components and planned maintenance in mind.
This spacewalk will be the second for Williams and the fifth for Meir. Williams will serve as spacewalk crew member 1 and will wear a suit with red stripes. Meir will serve as crew member 2 and will wear an unmarked suit. It will be the 280th spacewalk in support of space station assembly, maintenance, and upgrades….
Excellent, as essentially all of us in Middle to Southern America will see (Super El Niño induced) scorching temps over the next three days, but for our part, we will remain hydrated — even with another US Men’s Soccer match / Jumbotron evening picnic, in the park, for Wed. night @ 7 pm, locally.
Meanwhile, climate change ALSO means various wild-fires are burning very near my various Rocky Mountain family homes. Dammit — but onward, just the same.
नमस्ते
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