Astronauts Joshua Kutryk and Anil Menon are set to carry out NASA's 100th US spacewalk, a mission expected to last nearly seven hours to install a Roll-Out Solar Array that will provide additional power to the International Space Station (ISS).
First of Two Planned Spacewalks
It has been nearly two months since an astronaut on the ISS has ventured outside into space. Today's spacewalk is the first of two planned this autumn. Canadian astronaut Joshua Kutryk will leave the ISS to install the deployable solar array.
Kutryk will be the fifth Canadian ever to perform a spacewalk and the first from the country to do one in the past seven years. He will be joined by NASA astronaut Anil Menon, who has completed three spacewalks and also serves with the US Space Force.
Spacewalk Details and Support
The spacewalk is expected to last about six hours and 45 minutes. NASA flight engineers will assist the spacewalkers by helping them in and out of their spacesuits and commanding the Canadarm2 robotic arm during the installation job.
The ISS has served as a crucial test and research station where scientists carry out studies in limited gravity.
US Spacewalk 100
While NASA has been keen to share that there have been nearly 300 such walks, it dubbed this one "US Spacewalk 100" because it is the 100th conducted from the ISS's Quest airlock without a space shuttle present.
