NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson (center) poses with crewmates Shane Kimbrough of NASA (right) and Thomas Pesquet of the European Space Agency ahead of a Jan. 13, 2017 spacewalk outside the International Space Station. Kimbrough and Pesquet are taking another spacewalk on March 24.

Two astronauts are taking a spacewalk outside the International Space Station today (March 24) to prepare the outpost for a new docking ring and other upgrades.

NASA astronaut Shane Kimbrough and French astronaut Thomas Pesquet are expected to spend 6.5 hours working outside the station during the spacewalk, which begins at about 8 a.m. EDT (1200 GMT). You can watch the spacewalk live here, courtesy of NASA TV.

Today's spacewalk is the first of three scheduled for the space station's crew over the next few weeks. During their work today, Kimbrough and Pesquet will prepare a NASA module known as Pressurized Mating Adapter-3 (PMA-3) for the future installation of an International Docking Adapter that will allow commercial spacecraft to link up with the space station. The station already has one IDA, with today's spacewalk priming the outpost for a second docking adapter's installation. [Space Station's Expedition 50 Mission in Pictures]

Kimbrough, who commands the station's Expedition 50 crew, and Pesquet "will disconnect cables and electrical connections on PMA-3 to prepare for its robotic move Thursday, March 30," NASA officials said in a statement. That move coincides with the second spacewalk in the current series.

"PMA-3 will be moved from the port side of the Tranquility module to the space-facing side of the Harmony module, where it will become home for the docking adapter, which will be delivered on a future flight of a SpaceX Dragon cargo ship," NASA officials added.

Kimbrough and Pesquet are also expected to lubricate part of the space station's robotic arm, inspect a radiator valve suspected of a small ammonia coolant leak, as well as replace cameras mounted to the exterior of the station's Japanese segment, which consists of the huge Kibo laboratory module, a storage room and exterior porch-like platform covered with experiments.

The next spacewalk in the three-excursion series is scheduled for March 30 and will be performed by Kimbrough and fellow NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson. The final spacewalk is scheduled for April 6 and will be performed by Whitson and Pesquet.

Kimbrough, Pesquet and Whitson are three of six space travelers currently living on the International Space Station as part of the Expedition 50 mission. The other three crewmembers — Andrey Borisenko, Sergey Ryzhikov and Oleg Novitskiy — are cosmonauts with Russia's Roscosmos space agency.

Visit Space.com for complete coverage of all three spacewalks at the space station.

Email Tariq Malik at tmalik@space.com or follow him @tariqjmalik and Google+. Follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebook and Google+. Original article on Space.com.</s>A French and an American astronaut floated outside the International Space Station Friday on a successful spacewalk to upgrade the orbiting outpost for the arrival of future space crews.

Outfitted in bulky white spacesuits, helmets and gloves, France's Thomas Pesquet, 39, and American Shane Kimbrough, 49, completed their work right on schedule, after six hours and 34 minutes in the vacuum of space.

"Another great example of international collaboration and the work that we can do when we get a great team like this together," said Jessica Meir, a NASA astronaut who coordinated the spacewalk from mission control in Houston.

The goal for Friday's outing was to prepare for the installation of the second of two parking spots for space taxis, known as the International Docking Adapters.

New crew spaceships, being designed by SpaceX and Boeing, will use them when they begin flying astronauts to the station in the coming years, as early as 2018.

Currently, the only way the world's astronauts can reach orbit is by buying a ride aboard Russia's Soyuz capsules, at $81 million per seat.

Pesquet spent the first part of his spacewalk inspecting a radiator valve suspected of a small ammonia leak, but was unable to find evidence of any problems.

Then, he lubricated the space station's robotic arm, Dextre, which is employed to grab approaching cargo ships and move items around outside.

Meanwhile, Kimbrough disconnected cables and electrical connections on the pressurized mating adapter (PMA-3) to prepare for its move Thursday, March 30, during another spacewalk.

In its new location, it will become the home for the second of two International Docking Adapters, to be delivered on a future flight of a SpaceX Dragon cargo ship.

Kimbrough also worked on installing new cameras and computer equipment outside the space station.

Pesquet and Kimbrough worked separately on their tasks outside the space station, a symbol of international cooperation which has been continuously inhabited by global astronauts for the past 17 years.

Friday's spacewalk was the second of Pesquet's career, and the fifth for Kimbrough.

"Going outside is always a gee-whiz moment for me," Kimbrough said in an interview on NASA television this week, adding that it was also "really satisfying" to see Pesquet perform so well on his first spacewalk back in January.

Pesquet is the fourth Frenchman to ever walk in space, and the 11th European.

The next outing on March 30 will include Kimbrough and American astronaut Peggy Whitson, making the eighth spacewalk of her career.

A third spacewalk on April 6 is to include Pesquet and Whitson.

Next month, the 57-year-old Whitson will set a new record for spacewalks by a female astronaut, and will also break the record for most number of days spent in space by an American.

The current US record of 534 days is held by NASA astronaut Jeff Williams.

Russian cosmonaut Gennady Padalka holds the record for the most cumulative days ever in space, at 879 days over five career trips.</s>Astronauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS) will perform three spacewalks. One on March 24 and then the next two on March 30 and April 6. (Photo : NASA via Getty Images)

The crew aboard the International Space Station (ISS) is busy preparing for three scheduled spacewalks. The first started on March 24 with NASA astronaut and ISS commander Shane Kimbrough and ESA astronaut and ISS flight engineer Thomas Pesquet performing system checks outside the space station.

NASA's Johnson Space Center will lead all three spacewalks. The first one started on Friday, March 24 streamed live courtesy of NASA TV. Each of the three spacewalks will last for six hours. The scheduled missions will prepare the ISS for the arrival of commercial spacecraft.

"We're trying to take that to the next level with commercially launched capabilities for crew," Kenneth Todd, ISS Operations Integration Manager, said in a statement. "And in order to do that, we as an SS program have to give them a place to come to. So these EVAs (Extravehicular Activity) or the first couple really are focused on establishing that port to have a commercial vehicle come and see us."

The current on-going spacewalk [as of this writing] targets the docking system outside the space station in a mission called U.S. EVA-40. The new spacecraft scheduled to arrive at the ISS will use the parking latch to attach to the ISS.

Reports say that this specific mission expresses NASA's intent to allow private commercial space flights companies to transport humans to the ISS. This will also give NASA a broader range of transporter alternatives, instead of relying solely on Russian rockets to carry astronauts to space.

"Peggy [Whitson] and Thomas [Pesquet] will be acting as construction workers, electricians and scientists to install a lot of hardware," Alex Kanelakos, U.S. EVA #42 Spacewalk Officer, said in the same report.

The first spacewalk started at 7:24 a.m when astronauts left the inside of the ISS using the Quest airlock. Commander Kimbrough is performing his fifth spacewalk while the younger crew Pesquet is on his second.

The next two spacewalks are scheduled for March 30 and April 6, according to a report.</s>NORFOLK, Va. – NASA astronaut Shane Kimbrough and French astronaut Thomas Pesquet will perform a spacewalk Friday morning outside the International Space Station.

During Friday’s spacewalk, NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson will stay inside the ISS and control the robotic arm that will help her crewmates.

The spacewalk is the first of three coming up that will prepare the ISS for a second International Docking Adapter, which will allow more commercial spacecraft to dock with the station in the future. Right now, only Russia’s Soyuz spacecraft can dock to bring people onto the ISS. Commercial spacecraft, like SpaceX’s Dragon and Orbital ATK’s Cygnus must be grabbed by the robotic arm and berthed so cargo can be offloaded.

The second spacewalk is scheduled to take place March 30 with Kimbrough and Whitson.

The third spacewalk is scheduled for April 6, with Whitson and Pesquet and robotic help from Kimbrough. It will be the International Space Station’s 200th spacewalk.

Astronauts perform second of two spacewalks to upgrade ISS

Two astronauts prepare for second live spacewalk from the International Space Station</s>MIAMI—A French and an American astronaut floated outside the International Space Station Friday on a successful spacewalk to upgrade the orbiting outpost for the arrival of future space crews.

Outfitted in bulky white spacesuits, helmets and gloves, France's Thomas Pesquet, 39, and American Shane Kimbrough, 49, completed their work right on schedule, after six hours and 34 minutes in the vacuum of space.

"Another great example of international collaboration and the work that we can do when we get a great team like this together," said Jessica Meir, a NASA astronaut who coordinated the spacewalk from mission control in Houston.

The goal for Friday's outing was to prepare for the installation of the second of two parking spots for space taxis, known as the International Docking Adapters.

New crew spaceships, being designed by SpaceX and Boeing, will use them when they begin flying astronauts to the station in the coming years, as early as 2018.

Currently, the only way the world's astronauts can reach orbit is by buying a ride aboard Russia's Soyuz capsules, at $81 million per seat.

Pesquet spent the first part of his spacewalk inspecting a radiator valve suspected of a small ammonia leak, but was unable to find evidence of any problems.

Then, he lubricated the space station's robotic arm, Dextre, which is employed to grab approaching cargo ships and move items around outside.

Meanwhile, Kimbrough disconnected cables and electrical connections on the pressurized mating adapter (PMA-3) to prepare for its move Thursday, March 30, during another spacewalk.

In its new location, it will become the home for the second of two International Docking Adapters, to be delivered on a future flight of a SpaceX Dragon cargo ship.

Kimbrough also worked on installing new cameras and computer equipment outside the space station.

Pesquet and Kimbrough worked separately on their tasks outside the space station, a symbol of international cooperation which has been continuously inhabited by global astronauts for the past 17 years.</s>CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla.: Two spacewalking astronauts ventured outside the International Space Station on Friday for a 6-1/2-hour spacewalk, the first of three to prepare the orbiting laboratory for future commercial space taxis and to tackle maintenance chores, NASA TV showed.

U.S. station commander Shane Kimbrough, 49, and French flight engineer Thomas Pesquet, 39, floated outside the station's airlock as the US$100 billion complex soared 250 miles (402 km) above Earth.

Kimbrough, making his fifth spacewalk, first upgraded a computer relay box on the station's central beam, then worked on a docking system for new spaceships in development by Boeing and Space Exploration Technologies, or SpaceX.

The U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration is making the retrofits in the hope that private companies will begin flying astronauts to the station by the end of 2018. This would break Russia's monopoly on crew transportation, a service that costs NASA more than US$80 million per person.

The first of the space taxis is scheduled for an unmanned debut test flight later this year.

During Friday's spacewalk, Kimbrough disconnected four cables on a docking tunnel to be used by the new commercial space taxis. On Sunday, ground control teams will use the station's robot arm to move it onto a different module.

The astronauts also lubricated part of the station's robot arm, replaced cameras on Japan's experiment platform and tackled other maintenance tasks before heading back inside the station.

A second spacewalk by Pesquet and NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson is planned for Thursday to install new cables to the relocated docking tunnel.

Once all the work is finished, the U.S. side of the station will have two docking ports for passenger spaceships and two for cargo ships. Russia, which jointly operates the station with NASA, has five docking ports.

Also participating in the station programme with research modules and equipment are Europe, Japan and Canada.

During Friday's spacewalk, Pesquet inspected hoses, attachments and other components of the station's ammonia cooling system. Flight controllers are looking for the source of a small leak in the system.

Pesquet, making his second spacewalk, did not see any leaking ammonia but engineers will review his video for closer scrutiny, said NASA mission commentator Gary Jordan.

NASA is expected to schedule a third spacewalk once its next cargo ship arrives at the station with more items to install. Engineers are troubleshooting a problem with the cargo ship's launch vehicle.</s>CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla., March 24 (Reuters) - Two spacewalking astronauts ventured outside the International Space Station on Friday on the first of three outings to prepare the orbiting research laboratory for future commercial space taxis and to tackle maintenance chores, NASA TV showed.

U.S. station commander Shane Kimbrough, 49, and French flight engineer Thomas Pesquet, 39, floated outside the station's airlock at about 7:30 a.m. EDT (1130 GMT).

Working 250 miles (402 km) above Earth, the astronauts expected the spacewalk to last 6.5 hours as they work to reconfigure the $100 billion station, operated by 15 nations, and add docking ports for new spaceships in development by Boeing and Space Exploration Technologies, or SpaceX.

Kimbrough, making his fifth spacewalk, headed to the station's central beam to upgrade a computer relay box before turning his attention to a docking system that will be used by future fleets of commercial space taxis.

The U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration is making the retrofits in the hope that private companies could begin flying astronauts to the station by the end of 2018. This would break Russia's monopoly on crew transportation, a service that costs NASA more than $80 million per person.

The first of the space taxis is scheduled for an unmanned debut test flight later this year.

During Friday's spacewalk, Kimbrough will disconnect four cables on a docking tunnel to be used by the new commercial space taxis. On Sunday, ground control teams will then use the station's robot arm to move it onto a different module.

A second spacewalk by Pesquet and NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson is planned for Thursday, to reconnect cables to the relocated docking tunnel.

Once all the work is finished, the U.S. side of the station will have two docking ports for passenger spaceships and two for cargo ships. Russia, which jointly operates the station with NASA, has five docking ports.

Also during Friday's spacewalk, Pesquet inspected hoses, attachments and other components of the station's ammonia cooling system. Flight controllers have noticed a small leak in the system and want to find the source.

A third spacewalk is on hold pending the arrival of a cargo ship that includes items to be installed during the outing.

Engineers are troubleshooting a problem with the cargo ship's launch vehicle, an Atlas 5 rocket made by the Lockheed Martin-Boeing partnership United Launch Alliance. Launch had been targeted for Monday. (Editing by Letitia Stein and Bernadette Baum)</s>Astronauts have ventured out on a spacewalk to prepare the International Space Station for a new parking spot.

Nasa's Shane Kimbrough and France's Thomas Pesquet emerged from the orbiting complex and went their separate ways to accomplish as much as possible 250 miles up.

"We are ready to get to work," Mission Control informed them.

Still image taken from live video provided by Nasa shows astronaut Shane Kimbrough, right, works on the International Space Station during a spacewalk on Friday, March 24, 2017.

Their main job involves disconnecting an old docking port, which needs to be moved to make room for a docking device compatible with future commercial crew capsules, and provide more clearance.

The new docking device - the second of two - will fly up late this year or early next and hook on to this port.

If all goes well, flight controllers in Houston will relocate the old docking port on Sunday, using the station's robotic arm. The crew will conduct another spacewalk next Thursday to secure the unit.

SpaceX and Boeing are developing capsules capable of flying astronauts to and from the space station. Until the SpaceX Crew Dragon and Boeing Starliner come on line - possibly next year - US astronauts will have to keep riding Russian rockets to orbit.

Before working on the docking port, Mr Kimbrough replaced a computer-relay box with an upgraded version.

Mr Pesquet looked for signs of a small ammonia coolant leak in outdoor plumbing. He patted and tugged at hoses, but did not spot any frozen flakes of ammonia. A GoPro camera caught his every move for playback later.

"No flakes. All good," he reported.

The pair also aim to replace a pair of cameras and grease latching mechanisms on the end of the robot arm.

Nasa wants to cram in two and possibly three spacewalks before Mr Kimbrough, the station's commander, returns to Earth on April 10.

Before a third spacewalk, Orbital ATK needs to launch a cargo ship to the space station with replacement parts. That shipment was supposed to be there by now, but has been delayed repeatedly because of rocket concerns.

It is unclear when the Atlas V rocket will be ready to soar from Cape Canaveral, Florida.

Nasa has been contracting out cargo deliveries since the end of the space shuttle programme in 2011. The space agency is counting on private companies to do the same with astronauts.</s>Starting Friday, Expedition 50 astronauts will conduct up to three spacewalks outside the International Space Station (ISS) to prepare for the future arrival of commercial crew spacecraft and upgrade station hardware, NASA said.

The second and third spacewalks are scheduled for March 30 and April 6. The spacewalks will be the 198th, 199th and 200th in support of space station assembly and maintenance.

The first spacewalk will prepare the Pressurized Mating Adapter-3 (PMA-3) for installation of the second International Docking Adapter, which will accommodate commercial crew vehicle dockings, NASA said.

The PMA-3 provides the pressurized interface between the station modules and the docking adapter.

Expedition 50 Commander Shane Kimbrough of NASA and Flight Engineer Thomas Pesquet of ESA (European Space Agency) will disconnect cables and electrical connections on PMA-3 to prepare for its robotic move on March 26.

PMA-3 will be moved from the port side of the Tranquility module to the space-facing side of the Harmony module, where it will become home for the docking adapter, which will be delivered on a future flight of a SpaceX Dragon cargo spacecraft.

The spacewalkers also will install on the starboard zero truss a new computer relay box equipped with advanced software for the adapter.

The second spacewalk will feature Kimbrough and Flight Engineer Peggy Whitson of NASA reconnecting cables and electrical connections on PMA-3 at its new home on top Harmony.

The final spacewalk will tentatively feature Whitson and Pesquet replacing an avionics box on the starboard truss called an ExPRESS Logistics Carrier, a storage platform, NASA said.

While Kimbrough's two spacewalks will be the fifth and sixth of his career, Whitson will be making the eighth and ninth spacewalks of her career - more than any other female astronaut.

Pesquet will undertake the second and third spacewalks in his career.</s>The spacewalk by France's Thomas Pesquet, 39, and American Shane Kimbrough, 49, will be the latest in a series of outings to install new docking ports for the next generation of commercial spacecraft.

The new crew spaceships, currently under design by SpaceX and Boeing, should begin flying astronauts to the station in the coming years, as early as 2018.

Currently, the only way the world's astronauts can reach orbit is by buying a ride aboard Russia's Soyuz capsules, at $81 million per seat.

The goals for Friday's spacewalk include preparing for the installation of the second of two parking spots for space taxis, known as the International Docking Adapter.

The pair of spacewalkers "will disconnect cables and electrical connections on the pressurized mating adapter (PMA-3) to prepare for its robotic move Thursday, March 30" during another spacewalk, NASA said in a statement.

The mating adapter equipment "will be moved from the port side of the Tranquility module to the space-facing side of the Harmony module."

In its new location, it will become the home for the International Docking Adapter, to be delivered on a future flight of a SpaceX Dragon cargo ship.

Pesquet and Kimbrough also plan to install new computer equipment outside the space station, and will lubricate and inspect the space station's robotic arm, used to grab approaching spacecraft and move items outside the global laboratory.

Other tasks include inspecting a radiator valve suspected of a small ammonia leak and replacing cameras on the Japanese segment of the outpost, the US space agency said.

NASA television coverage of the spacewalk is set to begin at 11:30 CET.

The spacewalk will be Pesquet's second and Kimbrough's fifth.

 The next outing on March 30 will include Kimbrough and American astronaut Peggy Whitson, making the eighth such outing of her career.

A third spacewalk on April 6 is to include Pesquet and Whitson, who will surpass the record for spacewalks by any female astronauts.

Later in April, the 57-year-old Whitson will also break the record for most number of days spent in space by an American astronaut.

The current US record of 534 days is held by astronaut Jeff Williams.

Russian cosmonaut Gennady Padalka holds the record for the most cumulative days ever in space, at 879 days over five career trips.
NASA astronaut Shane Kimbrough and ESA astronaut Thomas Pesquet take a spacewalk outside of the International Space Station to prepare the vessel for new arrivals.