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Wednesday, October 28, 2015

NASA astronauts all set for spacewalk today Wednesday Oct 28,2015


 US Atronauts Scott Kelly and Kjell Lindgren are all set for a Spacewalk on Wednesday, October 28, outside the International Space Station (ISS)

Both Kelly and Lindgren, who are first-time space-walkers, will focus on station upgrades and maintenance tasks, including installing a thermal cover on the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer, which is a state-of-the-art particle physics detector that has been attached to the station since 2011.

It will be the 32nd spacewalk performed by US astronauts and the 189th over the life of the ISS

The six-and-a-half hour walk will be streamed live on NASA TV beginning at 6:30 am ET. You can also watch the spacewalk live on the NASA app on your smartphone or follow live updates on @Space_Station Twitter.

Expedition 45 commander Scott Kelly, who is more than halfway through a yearlong mission on the orbiting laboratory, will have spent 522 days in space by the end of it. He topped the previous record of 382 days held by Mike Fincke in space.

Scott Kelly will also set another US record for consecutive days in orbit later this month, surpassing the 215-day mark established by Mike Lopez-Alegria in 2006.

During a spacewalk, astronauts are encased in spacewalking suits or (“Extravehicular Mobility Unit,” in NASA parlance) that weigh more than 350 pounds.

Another spacewalk is scheduled for the pair on November 6,2015 where they will attempt to restore the port truss ammonia cooling system to its original configuration

Spacewalk - Facts

1)A spacewalk can be defined as a period of physical activity engaged in by an astronaut in space outside a spacecraft. A spacewalk is also called an EVA. EVA stands for extravehicular activity.

2)The first person to go on a spacewalk was Alexei Leonov from Russia. It took place on March 18, 1965, and was 10 minutes long.

3)NASA's first spacewalks took place during the Gemini program. Ed White became the first American to go on a spacewalk on June 3, 1965, during the Gemini 4 mission, which lasted for 23 minutes

4)The first woman to perform an EVA was cosmonaut Svetlana Savitskaya during Soyuz T-12 on July 25, 1984

5)The world record for the most spacewalks is held by Russian astronaut Anatoly Solovyev. He has been on 16 spacewalks and spent more than 82 hours outside in space

6)Astronauts go on spacewalks for many reasons such as repairing satellites or spacecraft that are in space. Spacewalks let astronauts work outside their spacecraft while still in space. During a spacewalk, astronauts can also do science experiments.

7)Astronauts wear spacesuits when they go on spacewalks in order to keep themselves safe. Inside spacesuits, astronauts have the oxygen they need to breath and the and the water they need to drink.

8)A spacesuit weighs approximately 280 pounds on the ground - without the astronaut in it.

9)When on a spacewalk, astronauts use safety tethers - that resemble ropes - to stay close to their spacecraft. Tethers are like ropes. Another way astronauts stay safe during spacewalks is by wearing a SAFER. SAFER stands for Simplified Aid for EVA Rescue.

10)Astronauts prepare for spacewalks by practicing their tasks underwater in a large swimming pool because floating in space is a lot like floating in water. Another way astronauts practice for a spacewalk is by using virtual reality. 

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