Watch: NASA astronauts go on the first spacewalk of 2019 to upgrade the International Space Station
During their six-hour-long excursion, Anne McClain and Nick Hague replaced batteries that powered the solar arrays of the ISS.
Spacewalkers @AstroAnnimal and @AstroHague are removing an old nickel-hydrogen battery from the Port-4 truss and getting ready to stow it on an external pallet. #AskNASA | https://t.co/yuOTrZ4Jut pic.twitter.com/2t86x7G7lj
— Intl. Space Station (@Space_Station) March 22, 2019
Two NASA astronauts successfully completed the first spacewalk of 2019 to perform maintenance tasks on board the International Space Station on Friday.
Flight engineers Anne McClain and Nick Hague spent six hours and 39 minutes on their debut spacewalk, replacing nickel-hydrogen batteries that power a part of the’ solar arrays of the ISS with lithium-ion versions. This is a part of the larger effort to overhaul the power station of the space system, NBC News reported.
NASA live streamed the spacewalk and also answered questions during the mission.
McClain is set to go on her second spacewalk on March 29, along with fellow astronaut Christina Koch. This excursion, too, will involve battery replacement work, but is slated to make history as the first all-female spacewalk.