Thomas Pesquet flew his first mission outside the ISS
In this image from a NASA video, French astronaut Thomas Pesquet, top center, and NASA astronaut Shane Kimbrough venture out into space on June 16, 2021. AP
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French astronaut Thomas Pesquet returned safely to the interior of the International Space Station (ISS) on Wednesday after a spacewalk troubled by several setbacks and which did not allow the completion as planned. installation of a new solar panel.
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They had switched on the internal battery of their suit at 12:11 GMT, marking the official start of their expedition.
The mission of Thomas Pesquet and his teammate, American astronaut Shane Kimbrough, lasted more than seven hours, hanging in weightlessness outside the Station spanning 400 kilometers above Earth.
The purpose of the mission was to position, fix, plug in and deploy a new generation solar panel, called iROSA, the first in a series of six panels intended to increase the power generation capabilities of the ISS.
But halfway through, the mission had to be temporarily put on hold due to concerns about Shane Kimbrough's suit.
NASA teams observed an interruption in the transmission of data to check the condition of his suit, as well as a sudden spike in the pressure of the cooling system of his suit.
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Also to listen: Extra-vehicular outing of Pesquet and Kimbrough: "In 6.30am, they have 90 tasks to accomplish"
The astronaut had to return to the Station airlock and perform a reset, before exiting. Meanwhile, Thomas Pesquet was waiting for him, hanging by his feet to a robotic arm. The mission finally resumed, with control data once again available and stabilized. Shane Kimbrough has at no time been "
in danger
", reassured the US Space Agency. But a precious hour has been lost.
The two astronauts then moved the solar panel, folded on itself in a large roll of about 350 kilos, to where it was to be installed.
They secured it and attempted to unfold it, but an alignment issue interfered with the mechanism, preventing it from unfolding.
The two astronauts then returned to the interior of the Station.
"Now I am no longer the little youngster"
On Sunday, the same team would normally have to start the operation again to install a second solar panel.
But NASA must now decide what happens next: will they finish installing the first, or will they tackle the second as planned?
This extra-vehicular outing (“EVA”), the first since their arrival in the ISS at the end of April, was technically unprecedented.
For Thomas Pesquet, it was the third of his career - the seventh for the American.
And the 239th in the history of the ISS.
The two men had already carried out two spacewalks side by side in 2017. But this time, the roles were reversed: Thomas Pesquet was "EVA 1", Shane Kimbrough "EVA 2".
“
No. 1 is basically the chef.
Now, I'm no longer the youngster,
”commented the 43-year-old Frenchman.
(With
AFP
)
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Space
Alpha Mission
Thomas Pesquet