Humans Walking in Space

About 15 times a day, 6 humans pass silently overhead. They orbit the Earth 200 miles above the surface, protected from the vacuum of space by layers titanium and kevlar. On Wednesday, October 28 and the following Friday, November 6, two NASA astronauts are leaving the pressurized safety of the International Space Station to walk in space, and you can watch it live! 

Astronauts installing integrated truss system in a 2002 spacewalk. Image Credit: NASA

Astronauts Scott Kelly and Kjell Lindgren will perform maintenance tasks and station upgrades in the upcoming spacewalks. On October 28 they will install a thermal cover for a particle physics detector (trying to detect signs of dark matter), lubricate the robotic arm, and route power cables for a future docking port. On November 6 they will try to restore the truss ammonia cooling system to its original configuration, following up on a change made to the system in 2012. These maintenance tasks may seem routine, but nothing is routine in space. The astronauts' movements are hampered by bulky pressure suits, which are their only protection from the vastness of space. Things don't move the same in a weightless environment as they do on Earth. Each spacewalk will take over 6 hours to complete.

Expedition 45 commander Scott Kelly and flight engineer Kjell Lindgren prepare their extravehicular mobility unit spacesuits and tools for the upcoming spacewalks. Image Credit: NASA

Astronaut Scott Kelly is spending a full year in space, as opposed to the usual 4-6 month mission. NASA is running tests on him and his twin (also an astronaut) after he returns to find out what effects long term spaceflight will have on the human body.  If you are on Twitter, you absolutely should be following him to see his daily posts of beautiful pictures of the Earth. Follow @StationCDRKelly, and @DomePlanetarium while you are at it!

Day 207. Dusk over the #IndianOcean with a yellow band on the horizon. #GoodNight from @space_station! #YearInSpace pic.twitter.com/wkiQP4qpAb

— Scott Kelly (@StationCDRKelly) October 20, 2015

To watch the spacewalks, just go to NASA TV. Live coverage will begin at about 5:45 AM. If you are not that early of a riser, don't worry - they will be spacewalking for 6 hours! And if you are awake before the Sun, don't forget to look toward the east for the nice planetary conjunction still happening. 

You can always learn about the latest news from space at Peoria's Dome Planetarium. 

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