Astronauts Will Try Again on Wednesday to Fix Recalcitrant Bolt During Spacewalk
Two International Space Station (ISS) astronauts will try again on Wednesday to fix a bolt that thwarted their repair attempts last week.
NASA astronaut Suni Williams and Japanese astronaut Aki Hoshide will head outside the space station again at 7:15 am EDT on Wednesday September 5, to finish the work they set out to do on Thursday.
Photo credit: NASA
They were trying to replace one of four Main Bus Switching Units (MBSUs), part of the space station’s elecrical supply system. The ISS has eight solar arrays, integrated into the power system through the four MBSU’s. One MBSU was behaving erratically so NASA decided to replace it. When Williams and Hoshide tried, however, they could not drive one of the bolts into the box that attaches the unit to the station. Their planned 6 1/2 hour spacewalk ended up at 8 hours 17 minutes, the third longest in ISS history.
On Wednesday, they will try again with new tools and procedures worked out with colleagues on the ground. NASA says that if they are still unable to attach the MBSU, there is an option to bring it inside the station for a closer examination.
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