On 15 March 2022 NASA astronauts Kayla Barron and Raja Chari opened the hatch at 1212 GMT to begin their spacewalk (US EVA-79). This mission was to install a “mod kit” on power channel 3A’s Mast Canister Assembly (MCA) located on the Starboard-4 (S4) Truss and to release the Multi Layer Insulation (MLI) covers and “break torque” on bolts for two spare BCDUs (Battery Charge Discharge Units) on S6 truss.
Astronauts install “mod kit” to ISS S4 truss. Courtesy: NASA TV
The mod kit they installed is a mounting frame that will allow future astronauts to install a new ISS Roll Out Solar Array (IROSA) as part of the ongoing ISS power systems upgrade. Before closing the hatch, astronauts Barron and Chari completed two additional tasks, first breaking torque on the multiple Orbital Replacement Units (ORUs) stored on 3A Integrated Electronics Assembly on the S4 truss and then perform an electrical patch panel evaluation on the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer experiment. After a successful mission lasting 6 hours and 54 minutes, the astronauts closed the hatch on the Quest airlock at 1906 GMT.
This was astronaut Barron’s second EVA after her first spacewalk in December 2021. She has now totalled 13 hours and 26 minutes spacewalking time. This was astronaut Chari’s first spacewalk.
