Adventure space power astronauts install solar

Who installed the solar panels on the International Space Station?

Picture: NASA. Spacewalking astronauts equipped* the International Space Station with powerful new solar panels on June 20, overcoming* suit problems and other obstacles*. It took two spacewalks for French astronaut Thomas Pesquet and NASA astronaut Shane Kimbrough to install and unfurl* the panel to its full 19 metres in length.

Why did NASA put solar panels on the Space Station?

Against the backdrop of spectacular views of Earth, the team assembled a mounting bracket on the starboard side of the space station’s truss. This hardware allows for the installation of more rollout solar arrays, called iROSAs, to increase electrical power on the space station.

Does NASA have solar panels?

As expected, the efficiency of the station’s original solar arrays has degraded over time. NASA is upgrading the space station’s power system with the new roll-out solar arrays — at a cost of $103 million — which will partially cover six of the station’s eight original solar panels.

How did NASA install irosa solar arrays?

The new solar arrays were supplied to NASA by Boeing, Redwire, and a team of subcontractors. Once the new iROSA unit was mechanical and electrically integrated onto the station’s S4 truss, the astronauts released clamps keeping the roll-out solar array spooled in its launch configuration.

Will Cassada and Rubio install a second solar array?

Cassada and Rubio will go on another spacewalk on December 19 to install a second roll-out solar array on another power channel, located on the station’s port truss.

How many power channels does the International Space Station have?

The International Space Station has eight power channels, each fed with electrical power generated from one solar array wing extending from the station’s truss backbone. The new solar array deployed Saturday will produce electricity for the space station’s 3A power channel.