An ISS spacewalk repair to replace a power box that failed Saturday was carried out in a hurry Tuesday morning by U.S. astronauts Peggy Whitson and Jack Fischer.
Although the crew on board the International Space Station was never in danger because there was a second box to provide backup power, the mission was considered critical because a second failure would have left the station without power to operate radiators and cooling loops, according to The Washington Post.
The spacewalk lasted less than three hours, which is shorter than the usual average of between six and seven hours, the Daily Mail reported. Whitson completed the power box replacement while Fischer installed antennas on the station to improve wireless communication on future spacewalks, a task which had to be left undone during a May 12 spacewalk that was cut short due to a leaky hose inside the station, according to USA Today.
The walk put Whitson, the 57-year-old commander of the station, into third place for most time spacewalking at 60 hours and 21 minutes, the Post reported. She already has the most spacewalking time for any woman who has ever been to space.
The last time a power box failed was in 2014, and that box had lasted 12 years, the Post reported. Engineers on the ground will evaluate the failed box to determine what caused the failure, but the earliest chance they have to do that will be after June 1 when the SpaceX CRS-11 mission launches.
The Tuesday spacewalk was broadcast live on NASA TV.
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