Astronauts Successfully Complete Spacewalk to Replace Failed Voltage Regulator on Space Station - East Idaho News
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Astronauts Successfully Complete Spacewalk to Replace Failed Voltage Regulator on Space Station

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Thinkstock 101514 SpaceStation?  SQUARESPACE CACHEVERSION=14134166511853DSculptor/iStockphoto/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) — NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman and Butch Wilmore completed a spacewalk during which they replaced the voltage regulator of the International Space Station with just about a minute to spare on Wednesday morning.

The mission was complicated by the fact that it had to be completed while the space station was in darkness. The solar arrays generate electricity when in sunlight, which would have given the astronauts an electrical shock. The space station orbits Earth every 90 minutes — spending 45 minutes in sunlight and 45 minutes in darkness.

Had the pair been unable to complete the task, they would have been forced to back away and wait until the station was in darkness again.

The part that was being replaced had failed in May.


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