The 300th American spacewalk marks the end of a 3.5-year power upgrade
In short: Upgrading a space station's power grid requires more than just a plug-and-play solution. It demands a marathon of extravehicular activities to swap out aging technology for modern lithium-ion power, a feat completed by astronauts venturing into the vacuum to ensure the station's long-term viability.
The transition from nickel-hydrogen batteries to lithium-ion technology on the International Space Station (ISS) represented a massive logistical undertaking. This upgrade was part of a 3.5-year effort to modernize the station's power system. To complete this, astronauts performed a total of 12 spacewalks starting in January 2017 to replace batteries across eight different power channels used to route electricity on the station.
The final phase of this work was executed by astronauts Chris Cassidy and Robert Behnken. During their final spacewalk on July 21, they removed the last remaining nickel-hydrogen battery from the starboard 6 truss’ 3B power channel. This specific mission was significant as it marked the 300th spacewalk involving U.S. astronauts, a milestone dating back to Ed White's first EVA from the Gemini 4 capsule on June 3, 1965.
While the battery swap was the primary goal, these missions also served as a bridge to future capabilities. Following the power upgrade, the crew began preparing the Tranquility module for a commercial airlock provided by NanoRacks. This airlock, scheduled to arrive via a SpaceX cargo flight, will eventually allow for the deployment of both commercial and government-sponsored experiments into space.
The technical complexity of these tasks is underscored by the sheer scale of the operation. For instance, during the STS-132 mission, specialists Mike Good and Garrett Reisman performed a similar task of replacing batteries on the P6 truss segment, while also relocating a grapple fixture from the Atlantis payload bay to the station to serve as a spare.
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: Switching Batteries Powers Final Spacewalk
- Also: NASA Broadcasts Final Spacewalks to Upgrade Space Station Power System - NASA
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