Spacewalks were rescheduled as the Space Station prepares for orbital boost

An aurora and atmospheric glow crown Earth’s horizon in this image from the International Space Station as it orbited 266 miles above a cloudy Indian Ocean southwest of Australia. In the foreground, from left, are a portion of Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus spacecraft, the Rassvet module, and the Soyuz MS-25 crew spacecraft docked in the Prichal docking module, which itself is connected to the Nauka science module. Credit: NASA

After a spacewalk delay, Expedition 71 astronauts are preparing for two upcoming spacewalks as NASAIts crew prepares for their return from the ISS, discussing and reviewing Starliner procedures. The ISS’s orbit was also enhanced by an increase in supply ships, aiding the astronauts’ daily research and maintenance tasks.

Expedition 71 crew members spent Friday relaxing after Thursday’s spacewalk delay. Mission planners rescheduled the spacewalk for June 24, when two spacewalkers will remove the malfunctioning radio equipment and sweep the station’s surfaces for microorganisms. A second spacewalk to remove and replace a gyroscope array, relocate an antenna and prepare for future improvements to the alpha magnetic spectrometer is scheduled for July 2. Meanwhile, two Boeing Crew Flight Test astronauts from NASA continued testing the vehicles.

The sun reflected off the Caribbean Sea, creating an Earth-like scene as the International Space Station rose 259 miles above the Cayman Islands. Credit: NASA

NASA and Boeing will discuss the Starliner mission and departure from International Space Station as part of the agency’s Boeing Crew flight test in a media teleconference before takeoff at 12 p.m. EDT Tuesday, June 18. Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, who have previously visited the orbital outpost, called Boeing mission controllers on Friday and discussed their upcoming launch. The pair then boarded the Starliner and reviewed the ship’s operations and flight procedures.

RoscosmosThe Progress 87 resupply ship, docked to the Zvezda service module, will fire its engines late Friday evening, raising the space station’s orbit. Rebuilding maneuvers occur regularly, restoring the orbiting laboratory’s altitude as it degrades over time due to Earth’s gravity and atmospheric drag.

The seaport of Salina Cruz, in the Mexican state of Oaxaca on the Pacific coast, was photographed by the International Space Station as it orbited 260 miles above. Credit: NASA

The three astronauts working aboard the space station stayed busy Friday with their standard complement of space exploration and life support maintenance duties. Commander Oleg Kononenko and Flight Engineer Nikolai Chub finished their work shift with eye scans using a medical imaging device that looked at the retina, optic nerve and cornea. Flight engineer Alexander worked throughout the day on computer maintenance, vent cleaning and orbital hydraulics.