posted 02-20-2015 09:15 PM               

Spacewalks to prepare ISS for new docking ports

Expedition 42 commander Butch Wilmore and flight engineer Terry Virts will ready the International Space Station for a pair of new international docking adapters (IDAs) that will allow future commercial crew vehicles to connect with the orbiting outpost. The duo is set to start a series of three spacewalks routing cables and preparing the Canadarm2 for the installation of the IDAs to be delivered later this year.

The first spacewalk is scheduled begin on Saturday (Feb. 21) at 6:10 a.m. CST (1210 GMT) and run about 6.5 hours.

During the EVA, Wilmore and Virts will work to route more than 360 feet of cables that will provide power and communication capabilities with the new IDAs.

posted 02-21-2015 07:36 AM               

'Cable Guys' begin first of three spacewalks

Barry "Butch" Wilmore and Terry Virts switched their extravehicular mobility unit (EMU) spacesuits from external power to battery at 6:45 a.m. CST (1245 GMT) Saturday (Feb. 21), marking the start of their planned six-hour, 30-minute spacewalk.

Wilmore and Virts will attach power and data cables to the port and starboard sides of Pressurized Mating Adapter-2 at the forward end of the Harmony module where the first of two International Docking Adapters will be installed later this year.

Wilmore, designated as EV1, is wearing a spacesuit with red stripes. Virts is wearing a spacesuit with no stripes and is designated EV2.

posted 02-21-2015 01:43 PM               

First of three cable-routing EVAs ends

Expedition 42 commander Butch Wilmore and flight engineer Terry Virts are back inside the International Space Station following their successful six hour, 41 minute spacewalk. The first of the pairs' three scheduled outings together ended at 1:26 p.m. CST (1926 GMT) on Saturday (Feb. 21).

During the spacewalk, Wilmore and Virts completed all the work set out for them, routing cables as part of a reconfiguration of the space station to enable commercial crew spacecraft to dock in the coming years.

This was Wilmore's second spacewalk and Virts first. It was the 185th EVA in support of space station assembly and maintenance.

The two are scheduled to venture outside the space station again on Wednesday, Feb. 25 and Sunday, March 1.