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Showing posts from April, 2022

Expedition 67 Crew Wraps Up Week After Crew Arrival and Spacewalk

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Cosmonauts (from left) Denis Matveev and Oleg Artemyev worked outside the station’s Russian segment during the first spacewalk to outfit Nauka and configure the European robotic arm on April 18, 2022. Two Roscosmos cosmonauts went on a spacewalk to activate the new European robotic arm (ERA) less than a day after the SpaceX Crew-4 mission arrived at the International Space Station . The next mission event taking place will occur next week when four Expedition 67 astronauts complete their stay aboard the orbiting lab. Cosmonauts Oleg Artemyev and Denis Matveev exited the station in their Orlan spacesuits at 10:58 a.m. EDT on Thursday beginning the fifth spacewalk of the year. Fellow cosmonaut Sergey Korsakov assisted the spacewalkers from inside the station’s Russian segment as they released the ERA from its launch restraints on the Nauka multipurpose laboratory module and monitored the new robotic arm’s first motion. The day before, the SpaceX Dragon Freedom crew ship, carry...

Cosmonauts Set Up Robotic Arm’s First Motion, Wrap Up Spacewalk

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Spacewalkers Oleg Artemyev and Denis Matveev monitor the station’s new European robotic arm as it moves on the Nauka multipurpose laboratory module. Russian cosmonauts Oleg Artemyev and Denis Matveev of Roscosmos concluded their spacewalk outside of the International Space Station at  6:40 p.m. EDT after 7 hours and 42 minutes. Artemyev and Matveev completed their major objectives during the spacewalk, which included monitoring the first commanded movements of the robotic arm from its grapple fixtures after removing thermal blankets and launch locks. The duo monitored the robotic arm as its end effectors translated one at a time to a new base points. The crew also installed more handrails on Nauka multipurpose laboratory module. This was the fifth spacewalk in Artemyev’s career, and the second for Matveev. It will be the fifth spacewalk at the station in 2022 and the 250th  spacewalk  for space station assembly, maintenance, and upgrades. Additional spacewalks are planne...

Spacewalkers Exit Station to Activate New Robotic Arm

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Roscosmos cosmonauts (from left) Denis Matveev and Oleg Artemyev are pictured during a spacewalk on April 18, 2022, to configure the European robotic arm. Expedition 67 Flight Engineers Oleg Artemyev and Denis Matveev of Roscosmos began Russian spacewalk 53 at 10:58 a.m. EDT to continue to activating the new European robotic arm – a 37-foot-long manipulator system mounted to the recently arrived Nauka module. Coverage of the spacewalk continues on NASA Television, the  NASA app , and the agency’s  website . During the spacewalk, the duo will monitor the first commanded movements of the robotic arm from its grapple fixtures after removing thermal blankets and launch locks. The arm’s end effectors will translate one at a time to a new base points. The crew also will install more handrails on Nauka. Artemyev is wearing a Russian Orlan spacesuit with red stripes. Matveev will wear a spacesuit with blue stripes. This is the fifth spacewalk in Artemyev’s career, and the second for Matv...

NASA TV Broadcasting Fifth Spacewalk of the Year Today

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Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Artemyev waves to the camera during a spacewalk on April 18, 2022, to configure the European robotic arm. NASA Television coverage is underway as two Russian cosmonauts prepare to venture outside the  International Space Station  to continue activating the new European robotic arm – a 37-foot-long manipulator system mounted to the recently arrived Nauka module. Expedition 67 Flight Engineers Oleg Artemyev and Denis Matveev of Roscosmos will conduct the second in a series spacewalk that will be staged out of the Poisk module airlock. During the spacewalk, the duo will monitor the first commanded movements of the robotic arm from its grapple fixtures after removing thermal blankets and launch locks. The arm’s end effectors will translate one at a time to a new base points. The crew also will install more handrails on Nauka. Coverage of the spacewalk is on NASA Television, the  NASA app , and agency’s  website . Artemyev will wear a Russia...

Crew-4 Now Aboard the Space Station

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Crew-4 NASA astronauts Mission Commander Kjell Lindgren, Pilot Bob Hines, and Mission Specialist Jessica Watkins, and Mission Specialist Samantha Cristoforetti of ESA (European Space Agency) were greeted by Crew-3 as they arrived to the International Space Station. NASA astronauts Mission Commander Kjell Lindgren, Pilot Bob Hines, and Mission Specialist Jessica Watkins, and Mission Specialist Samantha Cristoforetti of ESA (European Space Agency) now are aboard the  International Space Station following Crew Dragon’s hatch opening about 9:15 p.m. EDT, Wednesday, April 27. Crew-4 joins Expedition 67 crew of Raja Chari , Thomas Marshburn , and Kayla Barron , all of NASA, Matthias Maurer of ESA, and cosmonauts Oleg Artemyev, Sergey Korsakov, and Denis Matveev of Roscosmos. NASA TV coverage will conclude shortly after hatch opening and return for live coverage of the welcoming ceremony at 2:40 a.m. Thursday, April 28. Crew-4 astronauts launched to International Space Station...

The Crew-4 Astronauts Dock to the Space Station

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The SpaceX Dragon Freedom capsule is seen after docking to the International Space Station while the station was orbiting 261 statute miles above the Pacific Ocean. NASA astronauts Kjell Lindgren, Bob Hines, and Jessica Watkins, and ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti arrived at the International Space Station Wednesday, April 27, as the SpaceX Dragon Freedom docked to the complex at 7:37 p.m. EDT while the spacecraft were flying about 261 miles above the Pacific Ocean. Following Crew Dragon’s link up to the Harmony module, the astronauts aboard Dragon and the space station will begin conducting standard leak checks and pressurization between the spacecraft in preparation for hatch opening. Lindgren, Hines, Watkins, and Cristoforetti will join the Expedition 67 crew of Raja Chari , Thomas Marshburn , and Kayla Barron , all of NASA, Matthias Maurer of ESA, and cosmonauts Oleg Artemyev, Sergey Korsakov, and Denis Matveev of Roscosmos. For a short time, the n...

Crew-4: NASA TV Coverage Continues, Dragon Ahead of Schedule for Docking

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NASA astronaut and SpaceX Crew-4 Commander Kjell Lindgren, representing NASA’s Commercial Crew Program, is pictured during a training session inside a mockup of the Crew Dragon vehicle at SpaceX Headquarters in Hawthorne, California on Feb. 15, 2022. NASA Television, the NASA app , and the agency’s website are providing live continuous coverage of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-4 mission carrying NASA astronauts Kjell Lindgren, Bob Hines, and Jessica Watkins, and ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti on their way to the International Space Station . The Crew Dragon spacecraft, named Freedom, is about 45 minutes ahead of the planned mission timeline . Docking to the space-facing port of the station’s Harmony module now is expected about 7:30 p.m. EDT Wednesday, April 27. Crew-4 astronauts launched to International Space Station at 3:52 a.m. Wednesday, April 27, from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Learn more about station activities by ...

SpaceX Crew-4 Launches to Join Station Crew Tonight

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The SpaceX Crew-4 astronauts liftoff from Kennedy Space Center in Florida aboard the Dragon Freedom crew ship atop the Falcon 9 rocket. CRedit: NASA/Joel Kowsky NASA’s SpaceX Crew-4 astronauts are in orbit following their launch to the International Space Station at 3:52 a.m. EDT Wednesday, April 27, from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The international crew of astronauts will serve as the fourth commercial crew rotation mission aboard the space station. A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket propelled the Dragon spacecraft into orbit carrying Mission Commander Kjell Lindgren , Pilot Bob Hines , and Mission Specialist Jessica Watkins , all NASA astronauts, and Mission Specialist Samantha Cristoforetti of ESA (European Space Agency). The crew will conduct a science expedition in microgravity aboard the space station. “Liftoff! The past few days at Kennedy Space Center have been inspiring and busy with the return of the Axiom crew and now the successful launch of C...

Station Crew Looks to Crew-4 Arrival and Spacewalk This Week

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The SpaceX Crew-4 astronauts (from left) with Mission Specialist Jessica Watkins, Pilot Robert Hines, Commander Kjell Lindgren, and Mission Specialist Samantha Cristoforetti. The Expedition 67 crew is gearing up for the arrival of the SpaceX Crew-4 mission following Sunday’s departure of the Axiom Mission 1 (Ax-1) crew. The International Space Station will also see another spacewalk to set up a new robotic arm. The orbiting lab’s four astronauts from NASA and ESA (European Space Agency) slept in on Monday after seeing off the Ax-1 crew on Sunday evening . Commander Tom Marshburn and Flight Engineers Raja Chari , Kayla Barron and Matthias Maurer woke up just before lunch time on the orbital lab and worked on housecleaning duties while testing a garment that may prevent space-caused dizziness and blurred vision, also known as orthostatic intolerance. The next mission, SpaceX Crew-4, to visit the space station is at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The four commercial crew ...

Dragon Endeavour Departs Station With Axiom Space Astronauts

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April 26, 2022: International Space Station Configuration. Five spaceships are parked at the space station including the SpaceX Dragon Endurance; the Northrop Grumman Cygnus space freighter; and Russia’s Soyuz MS-21 crew ship and the Progress 79 and 80 resupply ships. The SpaceX Dragon Endeavour spacecraft undocked from the space-facing port of the International Space Station’s Harmony module at 9:10 p.m. EDT to complete the first all- private astronaut mission to the orbiting laboratory. Axiom Mission 1 (Ax-1). The Crew Dragon is slowly maneuvering away from the orbital laboratory into an orbital track that will return the astronaut crew and its cargo safely to Earth, targeting a splashdown off the coast of Jacksonville, Florida, targeted for 1:06 p.m. EDT Monday, April 25. Ax-1 Commander Michael López-Alegría, Pilot Larry Connor, and Mission Specialists Eytan Stibbe and Mark Pathy will complete 17 days in space at the conclusion of their mission. SpaceX Dragon Endeavour, the Ax...

Axiom Mission 1 Astronauts Close Hatch to Dragon Endeavour

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Six spaceships are parked at the space station including the SpaceX Dragon Endeavour that will return the Axiom MIssion 1 astronauts back to Earth. At  7:26 p.m. EDT, the hatch closed between the Dragon Endeavour spacecraft and the   International Space Station  in preparation for undocking and return to Earth of the Axiom Mission 1 (Ax-1) with astronauts Michael Lopez-Alegria, Larry Connor, Eytan Stibbe, and Mark Pathy. NASA Television will air   live coverage   resuming at 8:30 p.m. in advance of the planned departure of Dragon Endeavour with undocking at 8:55 p.m. and will continue until about 30 minutes after undocking when joint operations with the Axiom and SpaceX mission teams ends. Today’s undocking will begin the Ax-1 mission’s journey home with splashdown off the coast of Jacksonville, Florida, no earlier 1:06 p.m. EDT Monday, April 25. Learn more about station activities by following the  space station blog ,  @space_station  and  @ISS_Research ...

NASA TV Broadcasts Departure of Axiom Mission 1 Astronauts

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The SpaceX Dragon Endeavour carrying four Axiom Mission 1 astronauts is pictured approaches the International Space Station on April 9, 2022. NASA Television, the NASA app , and the agency’s website are providing live coverage from the International Space Station for the closure of the hatches between the station and the Dragon Endeavour spacecraft to prepare for undocking and departure of the first private astronaut mission to the station, Axiom Mission 1 (Ax-1). Hatch closure is expected at about 6:50 p.m. EDT. The four-member private astronaut crew is scheduled to undock at 8:55 p.m. Sunday, April 24, to begin the journey home with splashdown off the coast of Jacksonville, Florida, targeted for about 1:06 p.m. EDT Monday, April 25. NASA coverage will break following hatch closure and resume at 8:30 p.m. in advance of the planned undocking at 8:55 p.m. and will continue until about 30 minutes after undocking when joint operations with the Axiom and SpaceX mission teams ends...

Teams are Go for Axiom Mission 1 Undocking Tonight

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The SpaceX Dragon Endeavour crew ship that carried four Axiom Mission 1 astronauts to the space station is pictured docked to the Harmony module. At the conclusion of a weather briefing today, NASA, Axiom Space, and SpaceX teams elected to proceed with today’s undocking of the Axiom Mission 1 (Ax-1) from the International Space Station at 8:55 p.m. EDT. Ax-1 Commander Michael López-Alegría, Pilot Larry Connor, and Mission Specialists Eytan Stibbe and Mark Pathy are targeted to close the hatch about 6:50 p.m.  to begin the journey home in SpaceX Dragon Endeavour with splashdown off the coast of Florida approximately 1:06 p.m. Monday, April 25. NASA Ax-1 return coverage is as follows (all times Eastern): Sunday, April 24  6:30 p.m. – Coverage begins for hatch closure at approximately 6:50 p.m. 8:30 p.m. – Coverage begins for undocking at about 8:55 p.m. Axiom Space will resume coverage of Dragon’s re-entry and splashdown beginning at noon Monday, April 25, on the company’s...

Axiom Mission 1 Undock Postponed to Sunday, Space Station Reboosts

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The full quarter Moon is pictured from the International Space Station as it orbited 261 miles above the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Pensacola, Florida on April 9, 2022. At the conclusion of a weather briefing ahead of today’s planned undocking, NASA, Axiom Space, and SpaceX teams elected to wave off today’s undocking attempt due to a diurnal low wind trough which has been causing marginally high winds at the splashdown sites. The Axiom Mission 1 (Ax-1) crew is now targeting to undock from the International Space Station 8:55 p.m. EDT Sunday, April 24. Weather permitting, the Ax-1 crew is targeted to close the hatch about 6:45 p.m. Sunday, April 24, to begin the journey home in SpaceX Dragon Endeavour with splashdown off the coast of Florida approximately 1:00 p.m. Monday, April 25. NASA Ax-1 return coverage is as follows (all times Eastern): Sunday, April 24 6:30 p.m. – Coverage begins for hatch closure at approximately 6:45 p.m. 8:30 p.m. – Coverage begins for undocking ...

NASA and SpaceX Adjust Agency’s Crew-4 Launch Date

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NASA’s SpaceX Crew-4 astronauts, from left, Jessica Watson, Bob Hines, and Kjell Lindgren, and ESA astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti stand outside Kennedy Space Center’s Neil Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building during a dry dress rehearsal on April 20, 2022. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett NASA and SpaceX now are targeting no earlier than 3:52 a.m. EDT Wednesday, April 27, for launch of the agency’s SpaceX Crew-4 mission to the International Space Station from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Teams decided to wave off a potential launch opportunity on April 26 until further into the week when space station positioning and orbital mechanics are more favorable. Crew-4 has another launch opportunity available Thursday, April 28, as weather continues to be a watch item heading into next week. For a Crew-4 launch Wednesday, April 27, NASA will host a prelaunch news teleconference at approximately 9:30 p.m. Monday, April 25, with the following particip...

Ax-1 Departure and Spacewalk Preps Wrap Up Work Week

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The full quarter Moon is pictured from the International Space Station as it orbited 261 miles above the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Pensacola, Florida on April 9, 2022. The Expedition 67 crew is gearing up for the departure of the first private astronaut mission and another spacewalk at the International Space Station . There was still time onboard the orbiting lab on Friday for biomedical science to understand how the human body adapts to microgravity. NASA’s station Commander Tom Marshburn spent some time on Friday assisting the four outgoing Axiom Mission 1 (Ax-1) crew members. The first private space quartet is getting ready to end a two-week stay at the station this weekend. Ax-1 Commander Michael Lopez-Alegria will board the SpaceX Dragon Endeavour with Pilot Larry Connor and Mission Specialists Mark Pathy and Eytan Stibbe and close the hatch at 4:30 p.m. EDT on Saturday . The four Ax-1 astronauts will then undock at 6:35 p.m. from the Harmony module’s space-facing po...

Station Crew Busy with Research as Managers Work Ax-1, Crew-4 Missions

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The SpaceX Dragon Endurance crew ship is pictured from a window aboard the SpaceX Dragon Endeavour crew ship. The four private astronauts from Axiom Space are now due to depart the International Space Station on Saturday night and return to Earth the next day. Four commercial crew astronauts are also looking ahead to their mission aboard the orbiting lab set to begin after the Axiom Mission 1 (Ax1-) crew departs. NASA, SpaceX and Axiom Space are planning for the Ax-1 crew to undock from the station inside the Dragon Endeavour crew ship on Saturday at 8:35 p.m. EDT. Ax-1 Commander Michael Lopez-Alegria will lead Pilot Larry Connor and Mission Specialists Mark Pathy and Eytan Stibbe back to Earth inside Endeavour for a splash down at 1:46 p.m. on Sunday off the coast of Florida. The SpaceX Crew-4 mission awaits its launch date as mission managers monitor weather conditions at the Ax-1 splashdown site and review mission data after Endeavour’s return. The Falcon 9 rocket that will t...

Station Crew Awaits Ax-1 Departure and Crew-4 Launch

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International Space Station Configuration. Six spaceships are parked at the space station including the SpaceX Dragons Endurance and Endeavour; the Northrop Grumman Cygnus space freighter; and Russia’s Soyuz MS-21 crew ship and the Progress 79 and 80 resupply ships. The integrated NASA, Axiom Space, and SpaceX teams have agreed on a plan for the Axiom Mission 1 (Ax-1) crew to undock from the International Space Station at 8:35 p.m. EDT Saturday, April 23, for a splashdown off the coast of Florida about 1:46 p.m. Sunday, April 24. The decision was made based on the best weather for splashdown of the first private astronaut mission to visit the International Space Station and the return trajectory required to bring the crew and the SpaceX Dragon Endeavour spacecraft back to Earth safely. NASA will provide live coverage of departure activities beginning at 6:15 p.m. Saturday, April 23, with hatch closure targeted for 6:30 p.m. Coverage will resume at 8:15 p.m. for ...

NASA, Axiom Space, SpaceX Wave Off Private Astronaut Mission Undocking

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The SpaceX Dragon Endeavour crew ship is pictured docked to the Harmony module NASA, Axiom Space, and SpaceX waved off the undocking opportunity of Axiom Mission 1 from the International Space Station on Tuesday, April 19 due to unfavorable weather conditions for return. The integrated NASA, Axiom Space, and SpaceX teams are continuing to assess the next best opportunity for return of the first private astronaut mission to the orbiting laboratory based on weather conditions and space station operations. from Space Station https://ift.tt/4zZ7cgk

Ax-1 Crew Preps for Departure as Crew-4 Mission Nears Launch

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The Expedition 67 crew said farewell to the Axiom Mission 1 crew today ahead of their departure planned for Tuesday night. Commander Tom Marshburn of NASA joined his six Expedition 67 flight engineers and held a farewell ceremony for the four-member Axiom Mission 1 (Ax-1) crew on Tuesday morning. At the same time back on Earth, four SpaceX Crew-4 astronauts arrived at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida to prepare for their launch to the International Space Station this weekend. Watch the Axiom Mission 1 farewell ceremony on YouTube . Marshburn called down to Mission Control today to recognize the contribution the four Ax-1 private astronauts have made to human spaceflight. The private quartet then spoke about the research and education events they conducted and thanked the Expedition 67 crew for hosting and guiding them during their 10-day stay on the station. Ax-1 Commander Michael Lopez-Alegria will lead Pilot Larry Connor and Mission Specialists Mark Pathy and Eytan Stibbe...

Cosmonauts Complete Spacewalk to Set Up Robotic Arm

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Spacewalkers Oleg Artemyev and Denis Matveev configure new robotic arm components on the Nauka multiupurpose laboratory module. Russian cosmonauts Oleg Artemyev and Denis Matveev of Roscosmos concluded their spacewalk at 5:37 p.m. EDT today after 6 hours and 37 minutes. Artemyev and Matveev completed their major objectives for today in which they installed and connected a control panel for the European robotic arm, a 37-foot-long manipulator system mounted to the recently arrived Nauka multipurpose laboratory module. They also removed protective covers from the arm and installed handrails on Nauka. The arm will be used to move spacewalkers and payloads around the Russian segment of the station. This was the fourth spacewalk in Artemyev’s career, and the first for Matveev. It will be the fourth spacewalk at the station in 2022 and the 249th  spacewalk  for space station assembly, maintenance, and upgrades. During the next Russian spacewalk scheduled for Thursday, April 28...

Axiom Mission 1: Dragon Endeavour Departure Postponed

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The SpaceX Dragon Endeavour carrying four Axiom Mission 1 astronauts approaches the International Space Station on April 9, 2022, less than a day after launching from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Mission Control has informed the Expedition 67 and Axiom Mission 1 (Ax-1) crews aboard the International Space Station that because of unfavorable weather at the splashdown location for recovery of the Dragon Endeavour and the Ax-1 crew, the integrated operations team at NASA, Axiom Space, and SpaceX has postponed the spacecraft’s planned departure from the orbiting laboratory. Weather permitting, the four-member private astronaut crew now is targeted to undock at about 10 p.m. Tuesday, April 19, to begin the journey home with splashdown off the coast of Florida no earlier than approximately 3:24 p.m. EDT Wednesday, April 20. NASA coverage of the farewell ceremony will remain as previously scheduled, and the updated NASA Ax-1 return coverage is as follow...

Two Cosmonauts Exit Station and Begin Spacewalk

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Cosmonauts Oleg Artemyev and Alexander Skvortsov are pictured during a spacewalk in 2014 outside the space station’s Russian segment. Expedition 67 Flight Engineers Oleg Artemyev and Denis Matveev of Roscosmos began Russian spacewalk 52 at 11:01 a.m. EDT to activate a new robotic arm attached to the Nauka multipurpose laboratory module at the  International Space Station by opening the hatch of the Poisk docking compartment airlock. Artemyev is wearing a Russian Orlan spacesuit with red stripes. Matveev will wear a spacesuit with blue stripes. This is the fourth spacewalk in Artemyev’s career, and the first for Matveev. It will be the fourth spacewalk at the station in 2022 and the 249th  spacewalk  for space station assembly, maintenance, and upgrades. Coverage of the spacewalk continues on NASA Television, the  NASA app , and the agency’s  website . The duo’s primary tasks for today’s spacewalk are to install and connect a control panel for the European robotic arm, a...

NASA TV Covering Station Spacewalk with Two Cosmonauts

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Russian cosmonaut Oleg Artemyev works outside the International Space Station during a spacewalk that took place in 2014 when he was an Expedition 40 Flight Engineer. NASA Television coverage is underway of today’s spacewalk with two Russian cosmonauts venturing outside the  International Space Station  to activate a new robotic arm attached to the Nauka multipurpose laboratory module. Coverage of the spacewalk is on NASA Television, the  NASA app , and agency’s  website . Expedition 67 Flight Engineers Oleg Artemyev and Denis Matveev of Roscosmos will conduct this first in a series of spacewalks to activate the European robotic arm, a 37-foot-long manipulator system mounted to the recently arrived Nauka. During the spacewalk, the cosmonauts will install and connect a control panel for the robotic arm. They also will remove protective covers from the arm and install handrails on Nauka. The arm will be used to move spacewalkers and payloads around the Russian seg...