NASA discusses upcoming ISS Spacewalks

NASA held a briefing at Johnson Space Center to discuss a series of U.S. spacewalks in November and December to install mounting hardware and a pair of rollout solar arrays to increase electrical power to support station operations and scientific research.

On November 15, NASA astronauts Josh Cassada and Frank Rubio will exit the station's Quest airlock to assemble a mounting bracket on the starboard side of the station's truss assembly. The spacewalk is scheduled to begin at 8 a.m. and last about seven hours.

The spacewalk will be the first for both Cassada and Rubio. The next two U.S. spacewalks are scheduled on November 28, and December 1. On Nov. 28, two astronauts will install an iROSA for the 3A power channel, and on Dec. 1 a pair of astronauts will install an iROSA on the port truss for the 4A power channel.

These will be the third and fourth iROSAs out of a total six planned for installation. The iROSAs will increase power generation capability by up to 30%, increasing the station's total available power from 160 kilowatts to up to 215 kilowatts.