July Space Station Spacewalks to be Previewed and Broadcast on NASA TV

WASHINGTON -- Two Expedition 36 astronauts will venture outside the International Space Station twice in July on spacewalks to prepare for a new Russian module and perform additional installations on the station's backbone.

NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston will host a NASA Television briefing to preview the spacewalks at 2 p.m. EDT Tuesday, July 2. Reporters may attend the briefing at Johnson and other participating NASA centers, or ask questions by calling Johnson's newsroom at 281-483-5111 no later than 1:45 p.m. Tuesday.

Briefers will include:

-- David Korth, NASA spacewalk flight director

-- Ernest Bell, Spacewalk 22 spacewalk officer

-- Karina Eversley, Spacewalk 23 spacewalk officer

Flight Engineers Chris Cassidy of NASA and Luca Parmitano of the European Space Agency will conduct the spacewalks July 9 and July 16 from the station's Quest airlock. Each spacewalk is scheduled to last 6 1/2 hours. Cassidy and Parmitano will replace a space-to-ground communications receiver and wireless video equipment and install power and cables for a Russian multipurpose laboratory module that will be launched later this year. The new module will serve as a research facility, docking port and airlock for future Russian spacewalks and will replace the Pirs module.

Cassidy, who is designated EV1 for the spacewalks, will wear a U.S. extravehicular mobility suit bearing red stripes. The spacewalks will be the fifth and sixth of Cassidy's career. Parmitano, who is designated EV2, will wear a spacesuit with no stripes and will be making the first two spacewalks of his career. He will become the first Italian astronaut to walk in space. Both spacewalkers will wear helmet cameras to provide up close views of their work.

NASA TV coverage of the spacewalks will begin at 7 a.m. on both July 9 and July 16. Both spacewalks are scheduled to begin at 8:10 a.m.

For NASA TV streaming video, schedule and downlink information, visit:

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July Space Station Spacewalks to be Previewed and Broadcast on NASA TV