Spacewalk Fact: @Astro_Timpeake first "official" British astronaut to #spacewalk. Watch now: https://t.co/KX5g7yYnYG pic.twitter.com/VxxxVbQ1YU
— NASA (@NASA) January 15, 2016
British spaceman Timothy Peake and NASA's Timothy Kopra (KOE-pruh) floated outside Friday morning. They need to replace an electronic box that failed two months ago, slashing station power by one-eighth.
The breakdown didn't disrupt work 250 miles up. But NASA wanted the power grid fixed as soon as possible, in case something else failed. The box - a voltage regulator - is about the size of a 30-gallon aquarium.
The spacewalkers made the switch in darkness, to prevent electricity from flowing through the solar power system and shocking them. They have just 31 minutes on each swing around Earth to complete the repair on the far reaches of the space station.
The spacewalk ended early, however, after a small amount of water ended up in Kopra's helmet.
As a precaution, #spacewalk terminated due to small amount of water in @Astro_Tim's helmet. https://t.co/KX5g7zfYQe https://t.co/6sRiiiLFPo
— NASA (@NASA) January 15, 2016
Today's #spacewalk has ended early. The crew was never in any danger. Listen to the NASA TV commentator for details. https://t.co/TomSPQvunr
— NASA (@NASA) January 15, 2016
Meanwhile, 250 miles above the Earth, 2 humans are on a #spacewalk making repairs. Live now: https://t.co/KX5g7yYnYG pic.twitter.com/2JhFpA0Ctl
— NASA (@NASA) January 15, 2016
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But first, let me take a #selfie. Astronauts pause for a selfie during #spacewalk. Watch: https://t.co/0Pr5m1bEAZ pic.twitter.com/AF4pskYOLJ
— Intl. Space Station (@Space_Station) January 15, 2016
250 miles above, astronauts #spacewalk to fix a failed part. Watch live on the NASA app or https://t.co/0Pr5m1tfsx. pic.twitter.com/jNTKXaM1lk
— Intl. Space Station (@Space_Station) January 15, 2016