Astronauts Will Spacewalk To Repair ISS

By  //  December 17, 2013

NASA Postpones Orbital Launch

NASA.gov — NASA managers are postponing the upcoming Orbital Sciences commercial cargo resupply mission to the International Space Station to proceed with a series of spacewalks to replace a faulty pump module on the space station.

NASA currently plans for two Expedition 38 astronauts to venture outside the space station Dec. 21, 23 and 25. NASA astronauts Rick Mastracchio and Mike Hopkins will remove a pump module that has a failed valve. They will replace it with an existing spare that is stored on an external stowage platform.
NASA currently plans for two Expedition 38 astronauts to venture outside the space station Dec. 21, 23 and 25. NASA astronauts Rick Mastracchio and Mike Hopkins will remove a pump module that has a failed valve. They will replace it with an existing spare that is stored on an external stowage platform.

NASA Television will air a news briefing at 3 p.m. EST on Wednesday, Dec. 18 to preview the spacewalks.

Orbital Sciences’ Cygnus spacecraft, atop its Antares rocket, now will launch no earlier than mid-January.

The postponement of the Antares launch will allow ample time for the station crew to focus on repairing a faulty pump module that stopped working properly on Dec. 11.

NASA POSTPONES ORBITAL LAUNCH

NASA currently plans for two Expedition 38 astronauts to venture outside the space station Dec. 21, 23 and 25.

NASA astronauts Rick Mastracchio and Mike Hopkins will remove a pump module that has a failed valve.

Astronaut Rick Mastracchio posted this image of a spacesuit inside the Quest airlock Tuesday via his Twitter account, @AstroRM. (NASA.gov image)
Astronaut Rick Mastracchio posted this image of a spacesuit inside the Quest airlock Tuesday via his Twitter account, @AstroRM. (NASA.gov image)

They will replace it with an existing spare that is stored on an external stowage platform.

The pump is associated with one of the station’s two external cooling loops, which circulate ammonia outside the station to keep both internal and external equipment cool.

Each of the three spacewalks will begin at 7:10 a.m. and is scheduled to last six and a half hours. NASA TV coverage will begin at 6:15 a.m.

The briefers include Michael Suffredini, the International Space Station program manager, Dina Contella, the International Space Station flight director and Allison Bolinger, who is the lead spacewalk officer. Wednesday’s spacewalks preview briefing will take place from NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston.