SouthernWorldwide.com – Two NASA astronauts successfully performed a complex repair on the International Space Station’s (ISS) robotic arm, replacing a critical “wrist” joint during a spacewalk.
The operation took place outside the orbiting laboratory on Tuesday, with astronauts Jessica Meir and Chris Williams working for over seven hours to fix the 200-pound component of the 58-foot-long arm.
“That is a good install, you guys. I know that was tough. Wonderful work,” Canadian astronaut Jenni Gibbons was heard saying from mission control, acknowledging the difficulty of the task.
Astronaut Chris Williams shows a “strong man” pose 260 miles above Earth during a break in work to repair the International Space Station’s robot arm.
NASA
The issue was first detected on May 27, when flight controllers at the Johnson Space Center in Houston observed that one of the seven joints on the Canadian-built arm was drawing excessive current and not functioning correctly.
Following a thorough analysis of the telemetry data, NASA officials and experts from the Canadian Space Agency, the arm’s supplier, determined that the joint had failed. A spare joint, one of two stored externally, was deemed necessary for replacement.
“Systems like Canadarm2 were designed from the beginning with replaceable components and were planned with maintenance in mind,” stated Bill Spetch, ISS operations and integration manager. “This is no exception.”
Astronaut Jessica Meir, on her fifth spacewalk, and her crewmate Chris Williams, on his second, began the spacewalk at 8:20 a.m. ET after switching their spacesuits to battery power. This marked the third spacewalk of the year for the ISS and the 280th overall.
After securing themselves with foot restraints near the storage platform and preparing the replacement joint, Williams and Meir proceeded to detach the arm’s “hand,” known as the latching end effector (LEE), along with two other functional joints.
Williams moves the failed wrist joint to a temporary storage location while he and Jessica Meir work to install a replacement.
NASA
The detached 900-pound assembly was temporarily placed on a nearby shelf, making way for the removal of the faulty 200-pound wrist joint, identified as joint No. 5.
The new joint was successfully installed approximately four and a half hours into the spacewalk. This crucial step allowed the arm to regain its full functionality.
“We’ll remove the failed joint five, replace it with the spare joint and then once that’s back on the arm, our last major task will be to get that LEE cluster that we temporarily stowed and put it back onto the robotic arm so that we have a fully assembled arm at the end of the spacewalk,” explained flight director Fiona Antkowiak.
Five and a half hours into the spacewalk, Williams and Meir successfully reattached the LEE cluster as planned. Shortly thereafter, flight controllers activated the arm, confirming proper electrical connections through the newly installed joint.
“Today we did hear good confirmation that … Canadarm2 has two good strings of power and data to the arm,” commented NASA commentator Sandra Jones. “So today’s wrist surgery was successful.”
With the primary repair completed, Williams and Meir gathered their tools and returned to the airlock to conclude the spacewalk.
Williams also took the failed joint back inside the airlock. It is intended to be returned to Earth for potential repairs, after which it, along with another spare, will be sent back to the ISS for future use.
The robotic arm is indispensable for routine ISS operations. It plays a vital role in capturing Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus cargo spacecraft, guiding them into position, and assisting with the movement of equipment and astronauts during maintenance tasks.
Despite NASA’s plan to decommission the space station by the end of 2030, Spetch emphasized that the arm will continue to be maintained throughout its operational life. This ongoing maintenance is crucial for ensuring the continued success of ISS missions.
“There’s not a time where we say hey, we’re just done repairing the arm,” Spetch concluded. “Overall, the arm is critical for station operations and continued maintenance of it throughout to the end of life.”
