Astronauts face a mishap due to a coolant during a spacewalk

Roscosmos The astronauts completed a spacewalk on October 25, completing important tasks including checking the Naoka module’s coolant and launching the nanosatellite. Despite encountering a coolant leak and problems with partial deployment of the solar sail, the mission was concluded successfully.

Roscosmos cosmonauts Oleg Kononenko and Nikolai Chub concluded their spacewalk on October 25 at 9:30 p.m. EDT After 7 hours and 41 minutes.

Main activities during a spacewalk

During the spacewalk, Kononenko and Chubb inspected and took photographs of an external backup coolant in the Nauka Multi-Purpose Laboratory Module, as well as isolating the coolant from Nauka’s cooling system. While checking the radiator, a bubble of coolant was released at the leak site. This required the astronauts to wipe down their suits before proceeding.

Cosmonauts Oleg Kononenko (red lines) and Nikolai Chub (blue lines) prepare a synthetic radar communications system for installation during their seven-hour, 41-minute spacewalk. Credit: NASA TV

The two astronauts also launched a nanosatellite to test solar sail technology; However, the nanosatellite’s solar sail failed to spread as far as cameras could track its departure from the station. The astronauts also installed an artificial radar communications system. One of the four panels in the radar system could not be fully deployed during the spacewalk and work will be postponed to a later date.

Post-spacewalk procedures and upcoming spacewalks

At the end of the spacewalk, before returning to the airlock in Poisk, the two cosmonauts, as usual, inspected Roscosmos Orlan’s spacesuits and instruments used during the spacewalk for signs of coolant and flushed any coolant as necessary. The astronauts also wiped down their suits and instruments as usual after recompression to reduce the introduction of trace contaminants into the space station environment. An additional filtration process will then be used inside the space station in order to quickly clean the atmosphere of any remaining traces of pollutants.

Roscosmos astronaut Oleg Kononenko (red-striped suit) attaches to the Strela arm outside the International Space Station about 250 miles above Earth during a spacewalk on December 11, 2018. Credit: NASA

This was the sixth spacewalk of Kononenko’s career, and the first for Chubb. It’s number 268 Spacewalk To assemble, maintain and upgrade the space station.

the next, NASA Astronauts Loral O’Hara and Yasmine Moghbeli will perform a spacewalk on Monday, October 30. Live coverage of the spacewalk begins at 6:30 a.m. on NASA TV. NASA applicationAnd the agency website. The spacewalk is scheduled to begin at approximately 8:05 a.m. and last about six and a half hours.

During US Spacewalk 89, O’Hara and Mghbeli will emerge from the station’s Quest airlock to complete the removal of the faulty electronics box from the communications antenna bracket and replace one of twelve wheel bearing assemblies on the Alpha Solar rotary hinged port strut. This will be the first spacewalk for both astronauts.