EVAs in June

[GordonD]

26 JUNE

 

2020 Chris Cassidy & Robert Behnken ISS Expedition 63)

 

Duration 6 hr 7 min

 

This EVA was another step in the ongoing programme to replace the ISS's nickel-hydrogen batteries with more powerful lithium-ion ones. Five out of six of the old-style batteries were removed from the S6 Truss, and two new ones installed as well as two adapter plates to complete the electrical circuit. Mission Control was able to confirm that the new batteries were operating properly. A second EVA is due on 1 July to complete the work in this area.

 

Seventh EVA (to date) for each astronaut.

 

NASA animation showing what work was carried out on the EVA.

[GordonD]

27 JUNE

 

No EVAs on this date.

[GordonD]

28 JUNE

 

1991 Anatoli Artsebarski & Sergei Krikalev (Mir Expedition 9)

 

Duration 3 hr 24 min

 

The cosmonauts installed a space exposure experiment on the exterior of the Kvant 2 module. This was known as TREK and had been devised by the University of California: it was planned to remain in position for two years before being retrieved and returned to Earth for analysis. The pair also installed charged particle detectors, retrieved the thermomechanical joint assembled during the previous EVA, and tested a new TV camera. The Strela boom was used to move around the exterior of the station and all the work was completed two hours ahead of schedule.

 

Second EVA for both.

 

 

 

[GordonD]

29 JUNE

 

No EVAs on this date.

[GordonD]

30 JUNE

 

1988 Vladimir Titov & Musa Manarov (Mir Expedition 3)

 

Duration 5 hr 10 min

 

The Kvant Module was equipped with an X-ray telescope jointly developed by the Soviet Union, the UK and the Netherlands, but it had been malfunctioning since shortly after launch so it was decided to replace the detector, even though the instrument was not designed for on-orbit servicing.  Tools for the repair were developed by Dutch and Soviet scientists and delivered by the crew of the second Taxi Flight. After a familiarisation briefing from the British researchers who had helped design the telescope, the cosmonauts set to work. As there were no footholds at the worksite, they had to take turns with one man holding the other while he carried out the maintenance. They first had to cut through twenty layers of thermal insulation, to find that the three screws holding the detector in place were locked by resin. One had to be scraped with a saw blade before it would turn, and the effort forced them to rest several times. When around 70% of the repair had been achieved, a special key tool snapped. As Mir was passing out of radio contact, Mission Control gave the cosmonauts fifteen minutes to complete the task with other tools, but when communications were restored they reported that they had given up. The repair would have to wait for another time, but before returning to the airlock the cosmonauts measured attachment locations for a foot restraint to be used on a forthcoming Soviet-French EVA.

 

Second EVA for both cosmonauts.

 

 

2004 Gennadi Padalka & Michael Fincke (ISS Expedition 9)

 

Duration 5 hr 40 min

 

The previous EVA had been abandoned due to a problem with Fincke's spacesuit but this time everything went smoothly and the faulty circuit breaker was replaced, restoring power to one of the station's gyroscopes. The astronauts found themselves ahead of schedule to they had time to install two flexible fabric handrails, mount a contamination monitor to an attitude thruster exhaust and fit two handrail endcaps on the airlock.

 

Fourth EVA for Padalka; second for Fincke.