ASTRONAUTS TAKE SAFETY MEASURES AFTER EXPOSURE TO TOXIC AMMONIA DURING SPACEWALK — LONDON TIME NEWS

Spacewalking astronauts needed to take additional security precautions Saturday after probably getting poisonous ammonia on their fits from the International Space Station’s exterior cooling system. Victor Glover and Mike Hopkins had no bother eradicating and venting a few previous jumper cables to take away any ammonia nonetheless lingering within the traces. But a lot ammonia spewed out of the primary hose that Mission Control nervous a few of the frozen white flakes may need gotten on their fits. Hopkins was stunned on the quantity of ammonia unleashed into the vacuum of area. “Oh yeah, look at that go. Did you see that?” he asked flight controllers. “There’s more than I thought.”

Even though the stream of ammonia was directed away from the astronauts and the space station, Hopkins said some icy crystals may have contacted his helmet. As a result, Mission Control said it was going to “be conservative” and require inspections.

The astronauts’ first go well with examine discovered nothing amiss. “Looks clean,” Hopkins known as down.

NASA didn’t need any ammonia getting contained in the area station and contaminating the cabin ambiance. The astronauts used lengthy instruments to vent the hoses and stayed away from the nozzles, to cut back the danger of ammonia contact.

Once the ammonia hoses have been emptied, the astronauts moved one in all them to a extra central location close to the NASA hatch, in case it’s wanted on the other finish of the station. The ammonia jumper cables have been added years in the past following a cooling system leak.

As the practically seven-hour spacewalk drew to a detailed, Mission Control stated the astronauts had already spent sufficient time within the daylight to bake off any ammonia residue from their fits. Indeed, as soon as Glover and Hopkins have been again inside, their crewmates stated they might odor no ammonia however nonetheless wore gloves whereas dealing with the fits.
The hose work ought to have been accomplished throughout a spacewalk per week in the past, however was delay together with different odd jobs when energy upgrades took longer than anticipated.

Saturday’s different chores included: changing an antenna for helmet cameras, re-routing Ethernet cables, tightening connections on a European experiment platform, and putting in a steel ring on the hatch thermal cowl.

Eager to get these station enhancements executed earlier than the astronauts head house this spring, Mission Control ordered up the bonus spacewalk for Glover and Hopkins, who launched final November on SpaceX. They teamed up for back-to-back spacewalks 1 1/2 months in the past and have been comfortable to chalk up one other.

“It was a good day,” Glover stated as soon as again inside.

Although most of their efforts paid off, there have been a number of snags.

The spacewalk bought began practically an hour late, so the boys may substitute the communication caps beneath their helmets with a purpose to hear correctly. A number of hours later, Glover’s proper eye began watering. The irritation quickly handed, however later affected his left eye.

Then as Glover wrapped up his work, a bolt got here aside and floated away together with the washers, changing into the most recent items of area junk.

“Sorry about that,” Glover stated. “No, no, it’s not your fault,” Mission Control assured him.

It was the sixth spacewalk — and, barring an emergency, the final — for this US-Russian-Japanese crew of seven. All however one was led by NASA.

Originally published at https://londontimenews.info on March 15, 2021.