Nasa astronaut Anil Menon is set to step outside the International Space Station (ISS) for the first time on Thursday, August 6, in a crucial spacewalk to upgrade the orbital laboratory’s power system.
Menon, who was born and raised in Minneapolis to Ukrainian and Indian immigrants, will join Nasa astronaut Jessica Meir for US Spacewalk 96.
The spacewalk is scheduled to begin at 5:35 pm IST and last about six and a half hours. Nasa’s live coverage will begin at 4:00 pm IST.
WHAT WILL ANIL MENON DO OUTSIDE THE ISS?
Menon and Meir will leave the station through the Quest airlock, the ISS’s gateway for spacewalks.
Their main task is to install hardware that will modify the station’s 3B power channel.
The work will prepare the ISS for the installation of another International Space Station Roll-Out Solar Array (IROSA), later this year.
The new solar panel will be the seventh IROSA installed on the space station.
Once operational, it will provide additional power for critical station operations, including systems supporting the station’s eventual safe and controlled de-orbit.
For Menon, the mission marks a major milestone.
This will be his first spacewalk, while Meir will be making her sixth.
Meir will serve as spacewalk crew member 1 and wear a suit with red stripes; Menon will be crew member 2 and wear an unmarked suit.
WHY IS US SPACEWALK 96 IMPORTANT?
The International Space Station depends on its solar panels to generate electricity for everything from scientific experiments to life-support and other critical systems.
Spacewalks allow astronauts to carry out work that cannot be done from inside the station, including installing, replacing and upgrading equipment on its exterior.
US Spacewalk 96 will be the 281st spacewalk conducted in support of ISS assembly, maintenance and upgrades.
It is also the first of three US spacewalks planned for August.
MORE SPACEWALKS ARE COMING
The next excursion, US Spacewalk 97, is scheduled for August 13 and will involve replacing a space-to-ground communications antenna.
The system is used to transmit data and high-speed communications between Mission Control in Houston and the station.
A third spacewalk, scheduled for August 25, will focus on connecting power-channel cables and data relay systems.
Astronauts will also replace a navigation aid used by visiting spacecraft during docking at the Harmony module’s forward port.
For Menon, however, August 6 will be the biggest milestone yet in his first space mission: stepping outside the ISS and working directly in the vacuum of space.
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