Spacewalking astronauts prep station for new parking spot
Published 10:06 am Friday, March 24, 2017
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — Spacewalking astronauts prepped the International Space Station on Friday for a new parking spot reserved for commercial crew capsules.
The 250-mile-high complex already has one docking port in place for the SpaceX Crew Dragon and Boeing Starliner, which should start carrying up astronauts as early as next year. Friday’s spacewalk set the stage for a second docking location.
NASA astronaut Shane Kimbrough disconnected all four cables from an old docking port, using some extra force on one. He looped a spare tether around the balky cable and pulled, and off it came. “Nicely done, Shane,” Mission Control radioed.
On Sunday, flight controllers in Houston will move the old port to a location that will provide better clearance for the future ships.