European Space Agency astronaut Sophie Adenot is set for her first spacewalk on Tuesday, 18 August, alongside NASA astronaut Anil Menon outside the International Space Station.
Image credit: European Space AgencyAdenot will become the fifth French astronaut to step into space. This mission marks the 31st European spacewalk and the 12th conducted by a French spacefarer.
Image credit: European Space AgencyAdenot completed more than 150 hours of underwater training at the European Astronaut Centre in Cologne and NASA Johnson Space Center in Houston to qualify for spacewalking.
Image credit: European Space AgencyWorking outside for six and a half hours, the crew will replace a Space-to-Ground Antenna. The critical system enables high-speed data transfer to mission control in Houston.
Image credit: European Space AgencyAnil Menon serves as lead spacewalker wearing red suit stripes. Adenot wears an unmarked suit as crew member two during this 97th US extravehicular activity.
Image credit: European Space AgencyInside the station, commander Jessica Meir and flight engineer Jack Hathaway will help suit up the spacewalkers and operate the Canadarm2 robotic arm to assist exterior tasks.
Image credit: European Space AgencyMarking the fifth spacewalk of the εpsilon mission, this venture demonstrates the meticulous ongoing maintenance required to sustain essential hardware in the harsh vacuum of space.
Image credit: European Space AgencyOfficial coverage begins at 12:00 BST on ESA WebTV and YouTube, with hatch opening scheduled for approximately 13:35 BST as the astronauts exit the airlock.
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