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The Upcoming All-Female Spacewalk
On May 1, two NASA astronauts will undertake the fifth all-female Extraterrestrial Activity (EVA) in history, and viewers can tune in live.
Event Details
Astronauts Nichole Ayers and Anne McClain will venture outside the International Space Station (ISS) at 8:00 a.m. EDT (1200 GMT). The spacewalk is anticipated to last approximately 6.5 hours.
Viewers can observe the EVA via Space.com, courtesy of NASA, or stream it directly through the agency’s channels. Coverage will commence at 6:30 a.m. EDT (1030 GMT).
Spacewalk Tasks
The astronauts will:
- Relocate a communications antenna on the ISS.
- Install a mounting bracket in preparation for the deployment of additional International Space Station Rollout Solar Arrays (IROSA).
The upcoming arrays will enhance the station’s power generation capacity by up to 30%, raising the total available power from 160 kilowatts to approximately 215 kilowatts. NASA plans to deliver the arrays via a SpaceX Dragon commercial resupply mission later this year, with their installation scheduled for a future spacewalk.
Milestones and History
This event will mark the fifth all-female spacewalk since the initial historic EVA by NASA astronauts Christina Koch and Jessica Meir in October 2019. The most recent female-only EVA took place in November 2023.
McClain will be undertaking her third spacewalk, while Ayers will execute her first. This expedition will also be the 275th overall in the ISS’s history. Both astronauts arrived at the orbital laboratory on March 16 as part of SpaceX’s Crew-10 mission.
Related Coverage
- NASA astronauts achieve historical milestone with the first all-women spacewalk.
- Observe NASA astronauts maintain an X-ray telescope on the ISS during a spacewalk.
- Chinese astronauts undertake a record-breaking 9-hour spacewalk outside the Tiangong space station.