ISS crew prepares final array installation for power upgrade
The ISS is preparing its final roll-out solar array, but what must astronauts complete before the power upgrade is finished?
On November 3, Joshua Kutryk and Anil Menon prepared for a November 5 spacewalk to install the ISS’s eighth and final roll-out solar array.
Joshua Kutryk and Anil Menon organized tools, inspected safety tethers and reviewed procedures for a seven-hour spacewalk scheduled to begin at 8:30 a.m. EST on November 5. Installing the final roll-out solar array is intended to complete a project begun in June 2021 to increase station generating…
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Joshua Kutryk and Anil Menon organized tools, inspected safety tethers and reviewed procedures for a seven-hour spacewalk scheduled to begin at 8:30 a.m. EST on November 5. Installing the final roll-out solar array is intended to complete a project begun in June 2021 to increase station generating capacity from 160 to about 215 kilowatts. [3]
Why it matters: The completed upgrade would give the station about 55 additional kilowatts of generating capacity, roughly 34% above its previous 160-kilowatt level. The work supports a station where crews are simultaneously conducting weightlessness research and handling cargo. [3]
Key insights: The final array is destined for the station’s starboard truss; Kutryk installed another roll-out array on the port side during the October 29 spacewalk. [3] | Preparation includes inspecting the tethers that will keep both astronauts attached to the station during the planned seven-hour excursion. [3] | Research continues alongside maintenance: Delaney used a sensor-equipped vest and headband to measure heart activity, blood pressure and breathing during exercise in weightlessness. [3]
Cheatsheet facts: What happened: Kutryk and Menon prepared tools and procedures on November 3 for the final solar-array installation spacewalk. [3] | Why: The upgrade is designed to raise station generating capacity from 160 to about 215 kilowatts—an increase of roughly 34%. [3] | The catch: Completion requires a planned seven-hour spacewalk to install the eighth array on the starboard truss. [3] | What's next: The spacewalk is scheduled for 8:30 a.m. EST on November 5, with NASA+ coverage beginning at 7 a.m. [3]