TORONTO – Two NASA astronauts are getting ready to conduct the first of three spacewalks that will prepare the space station for future U.S. crews.
Expedition 42 Commander Barry Wilmore and Flight Engineer Terry Virts will head out of the safety of the International Space Station around 7:10 a.m. EST Friday to prepare cables and communications gear for new docking ports. The two other spacewalks — scheduled for Feb. 24 and March 1 — will continue their work, constructing new docking ports for future crews to be launched on U.S. commercial spacecraft.
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They will prepare cables and communications gear for new docking ports that will allow future crews launched from Florida on U.S. commercial spacecraft — contracts given to Boeing and SpaceX — to dock to the space station.
The International Docking Adapters, will launch aboard two SpaceX Dragon cargo ships later this year. The addition of the adapters will allow the ISS crew to go from six to seven.
NASA TV will begin broadcasting coverage of the spacewalk at 6 a.m.
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