By Dean Murray
Astronauts have practiced suiting up as they prepare for a spacewalk on Thursday.
International Space Station (ISS) Commander Suni Williams and Flight Engineer Nick Hague have undergone health checks, as well as evaluation of their spacesuits in a pressurised configuration.
Williams has been marooned on the orbital outpost since arriving in June when the Boeing Starliner spacecraft on which she arrived was deemed unsafe to fly back on. NASA have said a homeward voyage will be “no earlier than late March 2025”.
Now, the NASA astronauts are scheduled to exit the ISS to service astrophysics gear including the NICER X-ray telescope and the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer.
They installed lithium-ion batteries and tested electrical and communication components on their spacesuits, while Flight Engineer Butch Wilmore assisted the pair and readied cameras the astronauts will carry with them into the vacuum of space.
The experienced spacewalkers will exit the Quest airlock and spend about six-and-a-half hours on their tasks, which also includes replacement of a rate gyro assembly to maintain station orientation and the replacement of a planar reflector to provide navigation data.
