Spacewalk II by Thomas Pesquet and Shane Kimbrae
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After their discharge on Wednesday, the two astronauts will continue to install the new solar panels for the International Space Station on Sunday, June 20, with the hope that it will come with fewer problems than before.
A spacewalk of at least six hours in space is complex enough that you don’t have to deal with additional technical issues.
However, that’s what happened to Shane Kimbrough on Wednesday. The American astronaut’s suit had some errors that forced him to return to the airlock for about an hour.
► Read also: Thomas Pesquet flew his first mission outside the International Space Station
The result: to the delay and only partially getting the job done, the new solar panel that was to be put in place had already been installed, but not plugged in.
This Sunday there will be a mutiny by Thomas Bisquet and Shane Kimbrough. Initially, before this setback, they had to create a second board. The program must continue. The challenge is to complete the power supply for the space station. Some of the current signs are 20 years old and starting to show signs of fatigue.
For Wednesday, whose installation is not yet complete, the two astronauts can take care of it if they have time. Otherwise, it would then be necessary to consider a third spacewalk to complete the mission.
► Also to listen: Thomas Pesquet’s record: What’s new aboard the International Space Station?
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