EVAs in February

[GordonD]

26 FEBRUARY

 

1988 Vladimir Titov & Musa Manarov (Mir Expedition 3)

 

Duration 4 hr 25 min

 

The goal on this EVA was to replace sections of the solar arrays. On 15 February the cosmonauts took a 'refresher course' by watching a videotape of their own preflight practice sessions in the underwater training facility. Now, they retracted the collapsible boom that held two arrays and installed a new section composed of a carbon-plastic composite rather than metal. The new solar cells were more efficient, with six panels supplying as much power as all eight of the old ones. The remaining two could be replaced independently of the others and could be used to test new solar cell materials. Before terminating the EVA, the cosmonauts inspected the rendezvous antenna on Progress 34, which had been late in deploying, and photographed the exterior of Mir and their own Soyuz TM-4 spacecraft, as well as swapping out space exposure experiments.

 

First EVA for both cosmonauts.

 

 

2004 Aleksandr Kaleri & Michael Foale  (ISS Expedition 8 )

 

Duration 3 hr 55 min

 

This EVA was historic because, with the ISS operating on two-man skeleton crews while the Space Shuttle was grounded, it meant that the station was technically unoccupied for the first time since Expedition 1 began in November 2000. As a precautionary measure the astronauts temporarily installed a protective ring round the Pirs hatch to prevent their safety lines snagging. The objective was to exchange space exposure experiments, European and Japanese packages replacing Russian ones. They also installed a device called Matryoshka (the name given to the famous Russian nesting dolls), comprised of simulated human tissue to study the effects of radiation on long-term station occupants. At this point, however, Kaleri began to feel unusually warm and noticed water droplets on his helmet visor. Russian flight controllers detected a failure in the cooling and dehumidifying system of his space-suit and the EVA was immediately terminated. Back aboard the ISS, Foale quickly located a kink in the umbilical of Kaleri's liquid cooling garment and once this was straightened out water could flow normally again.

 

Fifth and final EVA for Kaleri: his career total is 23 hr 25 min. Fourth and final EVA for Foale: his is 22 hr 44 min.

[GordonD]

27 FEBRUARY

 

No EVAs on this date

[GordonD]

28 FEBRUARY

 

2011 Stephen Bowen & Alvin Drew (STS-133/ISS)

 

Duration 6 hr 34 min

 

This was the first of two EVAs to carry out maintenance work on the exterior of the ISS. It began with the astronauts installing an extension cable from Unity to the Tranquillity Node. Aboard the station, Scott Kelly and Michael Barratt used the manipulator arm to move a failed ammonia pump module to a stowage platform. This activity was delayed as the astronauts were unable to use the control station in the Cupola, but things went smoothly once they moved to the Destiny module. Drew then stowed a tool alongside the pump module which would be used to drain it on the next EVA, while Bowen installed a foot restraint on the manipulator. The two then removed tethers and cart stoppers on the Mobile Transporter track and added extensions to its rails. Finally they opened, and then sealed, a canister known as 'Message in a Bottle' - a Japanese item which had been signed by numerous astronauts, which would later go on public display as containing the vacuum of space.

 

Sixth EVA for Bowen; the first for Drew.

[GordonD]

29 FEBRUARY

 

No EVAs on this date