Spacewalk Preps, Biology Research Wrap Up Week Aboard Station

Two spacewalks are scheduled for Jan. 16 and Jan. 23 to maintain astrophysics research gear, replace advanced communications gear, and search for potential microbes living on the outside the space orbital outpost.

NASA astronauts Nick Hague and Suni Williams will go on the first spacewalk and spend about six-and-a-half hours patching a light leak on the NICER X-ray telescope, readying the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer for future upgrades, and replacing station orientation and navigation gear. The pair was joined by NASA Flight Engineers Don Pettit and Butch Wilmore on Friday reviewing next week's spacewalk procedures and conferring with engineers on the ground.

The second spacewalk will see two yet-to-be-announced astronauts exiting the station's Quest airlock to replace an antenna assembly, search for external microbes, and checkout the Canadarm2 robotic arm. Both spacewalks will begin around 7 a.m. with NASA+ coverage starting at 5:30 a.m.

Hague began his day processing samples of micro-algae that may be able to produce food to sustain crews and oxygen to support spacecraft life support systems. Next, he downloaded his health data collected for analysis after he jogged on the COLBERT treadmill and worked out on the advanced resistive exercise device.

The other three NASA astronauts including Commander Williams and Flight Engineers Pettit and Wilmore spent the first half of their day on a variety of orbital maintenance. Williams checked out components on a fluorescence biology microscope while Pettit and Hague serviced electronics, plumbing, and life support systems.

Working in the station's Roscosmos segment, cosmonauts Alexey Ovchinin and Ivan Vagner took turns exploring how a crew member living in weightlessness uses vision to adapt their sense of balance and orientation. Flight Engineer Aleksandr Gorbunov inspected piloting and navigation gear throughout his shift on Friday.