After experiencing spacesuit problems and other issues with muscle and persistence, spacewalking astronauts were able to successfully equip the International Space Station with the first in a series of powerful solar panels earlier today.
A week ago, it was reported that problems with the spacesuit preempted NASA astronaut Shane Kimbrough and French astronaut Thomas Pesquet to complete an attempt installation of powerful new solar panels outside the ISS.
It took two spacewalks for the two astronauts to install and unfurl the solar panel to its complete 63 feet in length.
A Phys.org report described the solar wing as unrolled like a red carpet as its final set of bolts was released, depending solely on pent-up energy.
Successful Space Mission
The slow yet steady extension took 10 minutes, with station cameras providing live TV views. Pesquet called out, saying, "It is beautiful."
Mission Control, on the other hand, replied with "Well done, both of you," upon completion of the operation, adding that it was great to see.
As the six-and-a-half-hour spacewalk concluded, Kimbrough, with three children, wished all flight-controller fathers a "Happy Father's Day."
Pesquet and Kimbrough started today's spacewalk picking up where they left off the middle of this week when a string of issues preempted them from unrolling the high-tech solar panels.
A similar NBC Washington report said, radioing from inside, astronaut Mega McArthur told the two spacewalking astronauts, seemingly reminding them that today, they are butterflies with biceps.
Solar Panel Resembling a Roll of Paper Towels
After pushing and tugging, Pesquet and Kimbrough managed to unfold and align the solar panel, so both halves were already end to end, similar to a roll of paper towels.
The two needed to wait until they returned on the night side of Earth, and the old solar panels of the station were no soaking up sunlight.
They were not generating power, as well, before they made final power connections. Otherwise, this report described, they could be shocked.
Wail they waited for darkness, the camera-and-light assembly on the helmet of Kimbrough came loose, even though he had switched to a different suit to avoid the problem he encountered last time.
Pesquet, for his part, did his best to secure it using wire ties as the minutes ticked by. Such an effort paid off, and the last step, the actual unfurling, went off minus a hitch, according to a similar AP News report.
Electrical Boost for the Aging Station
The new solar wing, with five more to come, will provide the aging station a much-needed electrical boost, as there is a growing demand for experiments and space tourists.
Originally, NASA selected two spacewalks for the job, one for every solar panel being installed. However, managers added one more, a third, spacewalk, given all the earlier issues encountered.
Pequet and Kimbrough are reported to go back out Friday to complete work on the second panel, which SpaceX delivered earlier this month.
The first pair will boost the oldest solar wings of the station, which are degrading after two decades of continuous operation. SpaceX is set to deliver two more pairs over the next year.
Related information is shown on Global News's YouTube video below:
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