Two Russian cosmonauts performed the first spacewalk of 2022 outside the International Space Station (ISS). They performed procedures that would allow spacecraft to dock with a new Russian component.
According to Tass, Russian space agency Roscosmos' Anton Shkaplerov and Pyotr Dubrov spent seven hours and eleven minutes outside the space station after evacuating just after 7 am EST (11:29 pm Moscow Time).
Shkaplerov's third spacewalk, and Dubrov's fourth, took place on Wednesday. Shkaplerov has now worked in the vacuum of space for 21 hours and 39 minutes. The total time spent in Dubrov is currently 29 hours and 49 minutes.
A Soyuz MS-20 spacecraft is seen on a monitor after undocking from the International Space Station (ISS), starting the landing of the International space crew, including Japanese space tourists Yusaku Maezawa and his assistant Yozo Hirano, and Russian cosmonaut Alexander Misurkin, at Mission Control Center in Korolyov, outside Moscow, early on December 20, 2021. - A Japanese billionaire is to return to Earth on December 20 after spending 12 days on the International Space Station, where he made videos about performing mundane tasks in space, including brushing teeth and going to the bathroom. Online fashion tycoon Yusaku Maezawa and his assistant Yozo Hirano, who will be shepherded home by Russian cosmonaut Alexander Misurkin, are set to parachute on Kazakhstan's steppe at 0313 GMT Monday. Their journey marked Russia's return to space tourism after a decade-long pause that saw the rise of competition from the United States.
Russian Cosmonauts Complete First 2022 Spacewalk to Prepare Russian ISS Segment
Shkaplerov and Dubrov performed their jobs to deliver power, communications, and data routing to and from Prichal and the remainder of the space station on time, Space.com said.
The two cosmonauts exposed and secured handrails in preparation for future spacewalks, connected cables and installed antennae for the "Kurs" automated docking system, and relocated a TV camera to offer activity coverage outside the new module.
In addition, Shkaplerov and Dubrov placed docking targets for spacecraft approaching Prichal. The Soyuz MS-21 spacecraft, which is set to launch in mid-March, will be the first to dock with the new module, sending three Russian cosmonauts to join the Station's Expedition 67 crew.
The @Space_Station is being prepared for the Russian Spacewalk #51 as the Solar panels (SARJ) have just been parked.
— Liam Kennedy (@liamkennedy) January 19, 2022
The live stream on NASA TV begins at 6AM EST - with spacewalk scheduled to begin at 7AM. pic.twitter.com/p27l52Ljj5
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Shkaplerov took the time to retrieve an antenna and two empty garbage cans before tossing them overboard, where they would burn up in the Earth's atmosphere.
Huge pieces of equipment that are too large to be taken back inside the International Space Station for a disastrous return to Earth in an uncrewed resupply vehicle are commonly discarded overboard of the Station.
The debris blasted from the ISS is substantial enough to be tracked and monitored during its passive orbital decay phase before reentry to ensure it does not pose a concern to other spacecraft in orbit.
More EVA Expected From ISS
This was the International Space Station's first extravehicular activity (EVA) in 2022 and the 246th assembly, maintenance, and upgrade mission since construction began in 1998.
Beginning in April, more Russian EVAs will witness the commissioning of Nauka's European Robotic Arm (ERA). NASA Spaceflight said the EVA series would feature the installation of an external control panel that will allow cosmonauts to operate the arm manually.
UPI said Russia's additional investments in the international project indicate that Moscow plans to participate in the space station until 2030 when it is scheduled to be decommissioned. Cosmonauts will prepare a European robotic arm on the Nauka for future spacewalks and activate its airlock during future spacewalks.
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