NASA astronauts took extraordinary measures to prevent toxic ammonia coolant from remaining in the lines as they performed a spacewalk to rearrange space station plumbing on Saturday.
American astronaut Joseph Tanner waves to the camera during a spacewalk as part of the STS-115 mission to the International Space Station, September 2006.
The job was supposed to be finished on a trip outside the International Space Station a week ago. However, the power improvements took longer than expected.
According to Republic World, Mission Control ordered the bonus spacewalk for Victor Glover and Mike Hopkins to complete the station upgrades before the astronauts return home this spring.
How Did The Cleaning Go?
Bloomberg said both the astronauts had no problem cutting and venting a pair of old jumper cables to rid the lines of any residual ammonia. However, the first hose spewed so much ammonia that Mission Control was concerned that some of the icy white flakes might have gotten on their clothes.
Hopkins said any ice crystals might have contacted his helmet despite the ammonia current being guided away from the astronauts and the space station. As a result, Mission Control declared that it would "be vigilant" and request inspections.
NASA didn't want any ammonia to spill into the space station's cabin and contaminate the air, EuroNews said. To stop getting into contact with ammonia, the astronauts used long instruments to vent the hoses and kept them out of the nozzles.
The astronauts relocated one of the ammonia hoses to a more central position near the NASA hatch after they were emptied, in case it was required on the opposite end of the station. Years before, after a cooling system leak, astronauts installed the ammonia jumper cables.
ALSO READ: International Space Station Deals With Busted Toilet as Astronauts Head Home
Mission Control said the astronauts had already spent ample time in the sunshine to bake off any ammonia traces from their helmets as the almost seven-hour spacewalk came to an end. Glover and Hopkins' crewmates said they did not detect ammonia until they were back inside. Still, they also wore gloves when treating the suits.
What Were The Snags?
The hose work was supposed to be done during a spacewalk a week ago. Still, it was postponed along with other odd jobs because power improvements took longer than scheduled.
Replacement of an antenna for helmet cameras, rerouting ethernet cables, tightening ties on a European experiment platform, and adding a metal ring on the thermal hatch cover were among Saturday's other activities.
Mission Control requested the bonus spacewalk for Glover and Hopkins, which SpaceX launched last November, to complete these station upgrades before the astronauts return home this spring. They had completed back-to-back spacewalks one and a half months earlier and were excited to do so again.
As they had a successful attempt to clean the ISS Plumbing, they experienced a few snags.
The spacewalk began about an hour late because the astronauts wanted to replace the listening caps under their helmets to hear clearly. Glover's right eye began to water a couple of hours later. The discomfort subsided quickly, but his left eye continued to be affected.
Then, when Glover finished his job, a bolt disintegrated and drifted along with the washers, becoming the new space debris.
RELATED ARTICLE: International Space Station Faces Inevitable Repairs
Check out more news and information on Space on Science Times.