Science & Technology

U.S. Spacewalk 101

📚 Main topics

Final IROSA installationNASA astronaut Anil Menon and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Joshua Kutryk performed a spacewalk to install the eighth and final International Space Station Roll-Out Solar Array at the 3B power channel. 1:13
Preparing to leave the stationThe astronauts prebreathed pure oxygen, checked their suits and safety equipment, then depressurized the Quest airlock before exiting into space. 10:36
Moving and mounting the arrayThe crew released the folded array from its flight support equipment, transferred it with the Canadarm2 and manually positioned it on the 3B modification kit. They unfolded it and secured it with bolts. 2:40:15
Cable checks and deploymentAfter connecting the array’s power cables, the crew and ground teams investigated an unexpected low-current reading. During a later orbital night, Kutryk inspected and remated a cable; Mission Control then approved deployment. 6:03:44
Return to the airlockThe array deployed successfully, and the astronauts completed cleanup before returning to the Quest airlock. The spacewalk ended after six hours and 59 minutes. 7:40:43

✨ Key takeaways

More power for the stationThe eight roll-out arrays are expected to increase available power by up to 30%, raising the station’s generation capacity from about 160 kilowatts to approximately 215 kilowatts. 6:22
A careful, coordinated operationThe work involved robotic-arm support, manual handoffs, tether management, suit checks, precise installation, and communication between the astronauts and Mission Control. 6:56
The final array completed the upgradeThe successful installation and deployment finished the planned set of eight roll-out solar arrays. 8:07:05

🧠 Lessons learned

Verify connections before deploymentLower-than-expected current led the teams to pause and inspect a cable during a later orbital night before proceeding. 6:10:05
Adapt the timeline when neededThe crew shifted from the planned sequence to cleanup tasks while waiting for the right conditions to recheck the connections and deploy the array. 6:17:20
Teamwork made troubleshooting possibleMenon and Kutryk worked together on a stubborn cable connection, while ground teams supplied step-by-step guidance and assessed the power readings. 5:19:45

🏁 Conclusion/next steps

Spacewalk completed successfullyThe eighth and final array was deployed, completing the station’s planned roll-out solar array installation campaign. 7:53:23
Crew returned insideMenon and Kutryk safely reentered the station, concluding the 101st U.S. spacewalk from the Quest airlock. 8:37:50
Power upgrade supports future operationsThe completed array system adds electrical capacity for station research and operations. 8:30:49

Transcript excerpt

1:13 e International Space Station Flight Control room inside of Mission Control, inside of NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. As some 260 miles above earth, we are peering inside of the quest airlock aboard the International Space Station, where you see two astronauts preparing to venture out into space and install and deploy the eighth and final International Space Station Roll-out solar array. Completing a power augmentation upgrades for the orbiting laboratory. Good morning everyone. Joseph Zakrzewski

1:44 with NASA communications and what has been a celebratory week aboard the International Space Station starting on Monday celebrating 26 years of continuous human presence and now getting ready for a key spacewalk here today. As you can see, we are inside the quest airlock. That is the equipment lock and the two astronauts on the right and left hand sides are the ones preparing to venture out into space. Let's take a look at the astronauts that will head on out. As Joshua Kutryk of the Canadian Space Agency will be

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