Astronauts Jessica Meir (NASA) and Sophie Adeno (ESA, European Space Agency) performed a spacewalk to service the International Space Station (ISS). The task is to repair navigation and scientific equipment. The American space agency is broadcasting its 99th spacewalk.
According to NASA, astronauts are replacing the retroreflector on the front window of the ISS Harmony module to aid navigation during rendezvous and docking with other spacecraft. A retroreflector is a small optical device that reflects a laser beam incident on it strictly back to the source. Its main task is to be a reflector for high-precision measurements in space.
After installing the device, they will install connecting cables for data transmission systems and prepare the radiator of the alpha magnetic spectrometer for subsequent maintenance. Using this device, scientists “catch” cosmic particles, determine their type, energy, direction of flight, and look for traces of antimatter and dark matter among them. These data make it possible to reveal the structure of the Universe.
This is Adeno’s third spacewalk, and Meir’s seventh. Among female astronauts, only Suni Williams (9 times) and Peggy Whitson (10 times) have gone into outer space more often than her.
In addition to the American Meir, who commands the mission, and the Italian Adeno, the crew of SpaceX Crew 12 includes the American Jack Hathaway and the Russian Andrei Fedyaev. Both Meir and Adeno, by the way, speak Russian.
