Astronauts Bob Behnken and Chris Cassidy have each just completed their tenth extravehicular activity (EVA) from the ISS. Only two other astronauts have done so.
Bob Behnken, who arrived on the ISS on May 31, and Expedition 63 Commander Chris Cassidy each completed their tenth spacewalk this Tuesday, July 21 (and their fourth together). They thus equal the record for the most American EVAs, first set by Michael Lopez-Alegria in 2007, then equaled by Peggy Whitson in 2017.
During this excursion, which lasted 5 hours and 29 minutes , the two astronauts have been busy. In particular, they installed a new tool kit at the base of the robotic arm Canadarm2 from the station. They then took some pictures of their previous work, which was to upgrade the batteries of the ISS electrical system.
The two astronauts were then made to remove two devices allowing the manipulation of the station's solar panels. They also took the opportunity to reposition a portable footrest and to remove a filter from a camera lens.
Finally, they are heading towards Tranquility , one of the elements of the station, to begin preparing for the installation of the outpost's first commercial airlock. This module is expected to be delivered by a SpaceX cargo ship later this year .
After this release, Bob Behnken now counts 61 hours and 10 minutes passed through space. Chris Cassidy, for his part, is at 54 hours and 51 minutes .
In a press release ahead of Tuesday's EVA, NASA noted that the event would mark the 300th spacewalk by American astronauts since Ed White departed his Gemini 4 spacecraft in 1965. This Tuesday's release was also the 231st EVA in support of the assembly and maintenance of the International Space Station.
As a reminder, it is expected that astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley, members of SpaceX's very first crewed mission to the ISS (DEMO-2), are due to leave the station on August 1. Their landing in the Atlantic Ocean, off Florida, should normally take place the next day.
Once this test mission is complete, SpaceX will then be ready to launch the first of these contracted flights. This mission, known as Crew-1, is scheduled to lift off from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida on August 30.
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