Samantha Cristoforetti, an astronaut for the European Space Agency (ESA), and Russian cosmonaut Oleg Artemyev will eventually do a spacewalk outside the International Space Station (ISS) in partnership with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).
Samantha will do her maiden spacewalk, marking the first spacewalk by a woman from Europe. According to a statement from the ESA, Samantha and Oleg will collaborate on various duties during the spacewalk, also known as an Extravehicular Activity (EVA).
The two spacewalkers will also install a telescopic boom from Zarya to Poisk to help with future spacewalks and ten nanosatellites to collect radio electronics data during the EVA.
Cosmonaut Oleg Artemyev waves to the camera while working outside the Nauka multipurpose laboratory module during a spacewalk on April 18, 2022, that lasted for six hours and 37 minutes to outfit Nauka and configure the European robotic arm on the International Space Station's Russian segment.
NASA Explains Roscosmos-ESA Spacewalk Details
According to NASA, the primary objective of the next spacewalk is to set up platforms and workstation adapter gear close to a manipulator system affixed on the Nauka module, which Roscosmos owned.
"The astronauts will move its external control panel, work on insulation and install a temporary adapter point for the robotic arm," ESA said in a statement.
In addition, the designated cosmonaut and astronaut will move the enormous robotic arm's exterior control panel.
They will also change the camera unit's protective glass. These are just a few of the exciting aspects of the upcoming spacewalk.
The Robotic Arm is a crucial part of the space station since astronauts may use it to move crew members from one side to the other, carry payloads into and out of the ISS, and remove or replace experiment payloads.
Notably, this is the same Robotic Arm that caused controversy after Dmitry Rogozin, the now-retired head of Roscosmos, instructed his cosmonauts to stop using it.
However, the most intriguing aspect of this ISS activity is that it will enable the first European woman to perform a spacewalk outside the laboratory.
Samantha Cristoforetti, an ESA flight engineer, and Oleg Artemyev, Roscosmos' Expedition 67 commander, will carry out crucial tasks that will benefit the entire ISS.
Cristoforetti will take some time to ensure the arm's camera unit's window shield is transparent enough for the laser light to guide the arm when grappling and moving.
The European Robotic Arm is the first robot that can ‘walk’ around the Russian part of the International Space Station.
How to Watch the Extravehicular Activity Live
NASA will cover the upcoming ISS spacewalk through its website, NASA TV, and official NASA app, according to the agency.
Along with NASA, a live broadcast would also be available on the official ESA website, according to Republic World.
"NASA will provide live coverage of a spacewalk on Thursday, July 21," the American space agency added.
The live broadcast, according to NASA, would begin precisely at 9:30 a.m. EDT, 30 minutes before the scheduled time of the Roscosmos-ESA spacewalk (10:00 a.m. EDT).
The most recent spacewalk to the International Space Station is anticipated to last about six and a half hours.
While outside the enormous orbiting laboratory, they will wear the cutting-edge Russian Orlan spacesuits.
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