The planned 6.5-hour space journey begins at 07:10 AM. Two NASA astronauts Thomas Marshburn and Kayla Barron exit the ISS research laboratory orbiting 250 miles (400 km) above Earth.
“The sun will rise and you’ll be over South America in a few minutes,” mission control told the astronauts as they exited the air hatch. (Read also; China launches wave of space missions, a week there will be delivery of 4 satellites )
The start of extra-vehicular activity (EVA) after a 48-hour delay to avoid risks posed by orbital debris from Russian missile tests. The origin of the debris is unclear by NASA, although a spokesman said there was no indication it was from the debris of the satellite that was destroyed by Russia.
The spacewalk is the fifth for Marshburn, (61), a medical doctor and former aviation surgeon and the first for Barron, (34), a US Navy submarine officer and spaceflight nuclear engineer.
Their task was to remove the faulty S-band radio communications antenna assembly, now more than 20 years old, and replace it with a spare one stored aboard the space station.
The space station is actually equipped with other antennas that can perform the same function, but the installation of a replacement system to ensure an ideal level of communication redundancy. (Read also; Preparing Astronaut Food, From Dry Food to Growing Radishes in Space )
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