During a spacewalk conducted on June 22, Russian cosmonauts Sergey Prokopyev and Dmitri Petelin successfully completed the task of retrieving experiment packages from the Zvezda and Poisk modules and installing communications equipment outside the International Space Station (ISS). The spacewalk commenced at 10:24 a.m. EDT and concluded at 4:48 p.m. EDT, lasting a total of 6 hours and 24 minutes.
Prokopyev wore an Orlan spacesuit with red stripes, while Petelin sported a suit with blue stripes. This marked Prokopyev’s seventh spacewalk and Petelin’s fifth. The spacewalk itself was the ninth one carried out at the station in 2023 and the 266th spacewalk performed for assembly, maintenance, and upgrades of the ISS.
On June 23, the Expedition 69 crew wrapped up their work week with various tasks, including loading a cargo vehicle in preparation for its return to Earth and cleaning up after the previous day’s spacewalk. Additionally, the crew engaged in a robotics competition and conducted life support maintenance activities.
The SpaceX Dragon cargo vehicle, which arrived on June 6 with two roll-out solar arrays, science gear, crew supplies, and station hardware, is scheduled to depart from the ISS on June 29. NASA astronauts Stephen Bowen and Woody Hoburg were responsible for finalizing the cargo work inside the Dragon cargo spacecraft. Furthermore, NASA Flight Engineer Frank Rubio joined Hoburg in transferring research samples from the station’s science freezers to Dragon’s science transport freezers.
Earlier in the day, Bowen and Rubio collaborated to service power systems and life support equipment. They began their tasks in the Destiny laboratory module, replacing a remote power controller module responsible for managing power distribution throughout the station. Later, they moved to the Harmony module to swap out hardware responsible for air circulation, cooling, and dehumidification within the ISS’s U.S. segment.
Flight Engineer Sultan Alneyadi from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) assisted the NASA astronauts with cargo packing duties and performed orbital plumbing tasks in the morning. In the afternoon, Alneyadi powered up and activated the Astrobee robotic free-flyers located inside the Kibo laboratory module. He monitored their maneuvers, which were controlled by competition-winning algorithms developed by students on Earth.
The three cosmonauts of Expedition 69 enjoyed a well-deserved sleep-in following their previous day’s spacewalk. The spacewalk, which involved replacing science and communications hardware on the Roscosmos segment of the station, marked the fifth joint spacewalk for Commander Sergey Prokopyev and Flight Engineer Dmitri Petelin. After waking up in the mid-morning, the trio, including Flight Engineer Andrey Fedyaev, spent the remainder of the day organizing spacewalk tools, cleaning spacesuits, and reorganizing the Poisk airlock.
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about spacewalk hardware replacement
Q: What was the purpose of the spacewalk conducted by Russian cosmonauts on the International Space Station?
A: The purpose of the spacewalk was to retrieve experiment packages from the Zvezda and Poisk modules and install communications equipment outside the International Space Station.
Q: How long did the spacewalk last?
A: The spacewalk lasted 6 hours and 24 minutes, starting at 10:24 a.m. EDT and concluding at 4:48 p.m. EDT.
Q: How many spacewalks have been conducted at the International Space Station in 2023?
A: This was the ninth spacewalk conducted at the station in 2023.
Q: What tasks did the Expedition 69 crew perform after the spacewalk?
A: After the spacewalk, the Expedition 69 crew loaded a cargo vehicle for its return to Earth, cleaned up following the spacewalk, and engaged in activities such as a robotics competition and life support maintenance.
Q: What items were delivered by the SpaceX Dragon cargo vehicle?
A: The SpaceX Dragon cargo vehicle delivered two roll-out solar arrays, several tons of science gear, crew supplies, and station hardware.
Q: What tasks were performed by NASA astronauts Stephen Bowen and Woody Hoburg?
A: Stephen Bowen and Woody Hoburg were responsible for finalizing the cargo work inside the Dragon cargo spacecraft and transferring research samples from the station’s science freezers into Dragon’s science transport freezers.
Q: What were the activities of UAE Flight Engineer Sultan Alneyadi?
A: Sultan Alneyadi assisted the NASA astronauts with cargo packing and performed orbital plumbing tasks. He also powered up and activated the Astrobee robotic free-flyers and monitored their maneuvers controlled by competition-winning algorithms written by students on Earth.
Q: How did the cosmonauts spend their day after the spacewalk?
A: The cosmonauts stowed spacewalk tools, cleaned spacesuits, and reorganized the Poisk airlock. They also enjoyed some rest after their six-hour and 24-minute spacewalk.
More about spacewalk hardware replacement
- NASA TV – Official NASA TV website for live coverage and broadcasts related to space activities.
- Roscosmos – Official website of Roscosmos, the Russian space agency, providing information on space missions and activities.
- International Space Station – NASA’s dedicated page for the International Space Station, offering detailed information about the station and its missions.
- SpaceX – Official website of SpaceX, the private aerospace company involved in space missions and cargo transportation to the International Space Station.
- Expedition 69 – NASA’s page dedicated to Expedition 69, providing updates and details about the crew and their activities on the International Space Station.
6 comments
russian cosmonauts rly got the job done! replacing science stuff & comms gear. amazin’ teamwork up there!
Dragon cargo gonna leave soon. it brought solar panels & tons of science gear. super important stuff!
ISS crew busy packin’ cargo & cleanin’ up after the spacewalk. gotta keep things tidy in space!
UAE astronaut helpin’ with cargo packin’ & doin’ plumbing tasks. can’t wait to see those robotic free-flyers in action!
omg!! spaceman did spacewalk to fix things on space station. sooo cool!
Cosmonauts restin’ after their long spacewalk. they worked hard replacin’ stuff on Roscosmos segment. well deserved break!