Big mishap hits International Space Station – Morning Ticker

Astronauts were conducting a routine spacewalk when they encountered a major problem that required evasive action.

It was supposed to be a triumphant moment for Astronaut Peggy Wilson as she completed a record-breaking spacewalk on the International Space Station, but it quickly turned into an emergency that required evasive action. A piece of cloth shielding suddenly went floating away, prompting Wilson to report the problem to Mission Control at NASA, who will need to monitor the piece in case it comes flying back toward the space station.

Its an important piece of shielding because it stops micrometeorite debris from damaging the ISS. It was one of four pieces that Whitson and Shane Kimbrough, the other astronaut working with her, had to install near the docking location on the space station. The three other shields were put in spots that protected the ISSs most vulnerable areas in that location.

Whitson was clearly frustrated by the mishap in her communications with Mission Control, according to media reports, but it doesnt change the fact that she is now the worlds oldest and most experienced woman in space with her eighth career spacewalk.

Here are some of the most recent statements from NASA describing the spacewalks.

Expedition 50 astronauts will conduct up to three spacewalks outside the International Space Station (ISS) in late March and early April to prepare for the future arrival of U.S. commercial crew spacecraft and upgrade station hardware. The first spacewalk remains on schedule for Friday, March 24. A second spacewalk has been rescheduled to Thursday, March 30, and a third spacewalk now is scheduled for Thursday, April 6.

NASA TV will provide complete coverage beginning each day at 6:30 a.m. EDT, with the six-and-a-half hour spacewalks scheduled to begin about 8 a.m.

The first spacewalk will prepare the Pressurized Mating Adapter-3 (PMA-3) for installation of the second International Docking Adapter, which will accommodate commercial crew vehicle dockings. The PMA-3 provides the pressurized interface between the station modules and the docking adapter. Expedition 50 Commander Shane Kimbrough of NASA and Flight Engineer Thomas Pesquet of ESA (European Space Agency) will disconnect cables and electrical connections on PMA-3 to prepare for its robotic move Sunday, March 26. PMA-3 will be moved from the port side of the Tranquility module to the space-facing side of the Harmony module, where it will become home for the docking adapter, which will be delivered on a future flight of a SpaceX Dragon cargo spacecraft. The spacewalkers also will install on the starboard zero truss a new computer relay box equipped with advanced software for the adapter.

The two spacewalkers will lubricate the latching end effector on the Special Purpose Dexterous Manipulator extension for the Canadarm2 robotic arm, inspect a radiator valve suspected of a small ammonia leak and replace cameras on the Japanese segment of the outpost. Radiators are used to shed excess heat that builds up through normal space station operation.

The second spacewalk will feature Kimbrough and Flight Engineer Peggy Whitson of NASA reconnecting cables and electrical connections on PMA-3 at its new home on top Harmony. They also will install the second of the two upgraded computer relay boxes on the stations truss and install shields and covers on PMA-3 and the now-vacant common berthing mechanism port on Tranquility.

The final spacewalk will tentatively feature Whitson and Pesquet replacing an avionics box on the starboard truss called an ExPRESS Logistics Carrier, a storage platform. The box houses electrical and command and data routing equipment for the science experiments and replacement hardware stored outside of the station. The new avionics box is scheduled to launch on the upcoming Orbital ATK Cygnus cargo spacecraft mission.

This will be the 198th, 199th and 200th spacewalks in support of space station assembly and maintenance. Kimbroughs two spacewalks will be the fifth and sixth of his career. Whitson will be making the eighth and ninth spacewalks of her career more than any other female astronaut. Pesquet will undertake the second and third spacewalks in his career.

Students from Betsy Ross Elementary School in Anaheim, California, will speak with NASA astronauts living and working aboard the International Space Station at 11:40 a.m. EDT Monday, April 3. The 20-minute, Earth-to-space call will air live on NASA Television and the agencys website.

Expedition 50 Commander Shane Kimbrough and Flight Engineer Peggy Whitson, both of NASA, will answer questions from students in several grades. Students at Betsy Ross Elementary School have been hard at work exploring the space program, NASA and the space station leading up to the downlink. They have conducted research through virtual field trips while also designing realistic models of the space station. With each engaging activity, the students knowledge of NASA and the space program has been greatly enhanced.

Kimbrough launched to the space station Oct. 19, 2016, and will return April 10. Whitson launched to the space station Nov. 17, 2016, and is scheduled to return to Earth later this spring.

Media interested in covering the event should contact Keith Sterling, director of communications & public information, Anaheim Elementary School District. Ross Elementary is at 535 S. Walnut Street in Anaheim.

Linking students directly to astronauts aboard the space station provides unique, authentic experiences designed to enhance student learning, performance and interest in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). This in-flight education downlink is an integral component of NASA Educations STEM on Station activity, which provides a variety of space station resources and opportunities to students and educators.

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Big mishap hits International Space Station - Morning Ticker