Expedition 70 International Space Station Spacewalk Preview News Conference - Oct. 6, 2023

Ahead of an upcoming series of spacewalks scheduled for October 12 and October 20, Dana Weigel, deputy program manager, International Space Station, Elias Myrmo, spacewalk flight director, Faruq Sabur, U.S. spacewalk 89 officer, and Sandra Fletcher, U.S. spacewalk 90 officer, discussed the procedures and tasks for the spacewalks and answered questions from media and social media. During the spacewalk on Oct. 12, NASA astronaut Loral O’Hara and ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Andy Mogensen will exit the station’s Quest airlock to collect samples for analysis to see whether microorganisms may exist on the exterior of the orbital complex. They also will replace a high-definition camera on the port truss of the station and conduct other maintenance work to prepare for future spacewalks. During the spacewalk on Oct. 20 O’Hara and NASA astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli will complete the removal of a faulty electronics box, called a Radio Frequency Group, from a communications antenna on the starboard truss of the station and replace one of twelve Trundle Bearing Assemblies on the port truss Solar Alpha Rotary Joint.

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