Astronauts Anil Menon and Sophie Adenot KJ5LTN teamed up outside the ISS for some lengthy and delicate antenna work early on Tuesday the 18th of August. Their spacewalk focused on swapping out a space-to-ground antenna, a task that was covered live on NASA's website and the European Space Agency's YouTube channel.
Like its predecessor, the new high-speed data and communications antenna was to provide a vital connection between the ISS and NASA's Mission Control Center in Houston. However, the pair ran out of time: Removing the failed antenna took longer than expected. Fortunately, the ISS has two of these antennas so communication can proceed normally even though the replacement is not in place. Another spacewalk is on the schedule for Tuesday, August 25th but it's not clear whether the new antenna will be installed then.
