NASA Schedules Spacewalk for Station Maintenance

• NASA will conduct a spacewalk on Tuesday, Sept. 1, to perform essential maintenance and hardware upgrades on the International Space Station (ISS).
• Live coverage begins at 7 a.m. EDT, with the spacewalk expected to start at approximately 8:30 a.m. and last about 6.5 hours.

Mission Details

• The excursion, designated as U.S. spacewalk 99, involves NASA astronaut Jessica Meir and ESA astronaut Sophie Adenot.
• Primary objectives include:
  • Replacing a retroreflector on the Harmony module to aid spacecraft navigation during rendezvous and docking.
  • Installing jumper cables for data-relay systems.
  • Preparing the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer’s radiator for future maintenance.
  • Replacing a high-definition camera on the station’s truss.

Astronaut Information

• Sophie Adenot (Crew Member 1): Wears a suit with red stripes; this is her third spacewalk.
• Jessica Meir (Crew Member 2): Wears an unmarked suit; this is her seventh spacewalk.
• With this mission, Meir will move into third place for the most spacewalks by a woman at NASA, following Peggy Whitson (10) and Suni Williams (9).

Context

• This event marks the 284th spacewalk dedicated to ISS assembly, maintenance, and upgrades.