British News Agency

According to an announcement from NASA, NASA astronauts, both conducting their first spacewalks, will participate in two spacewalks outside the International Space Station to conduct scientific research and station maintenance.

NASA astronaut Loral O'Hara will participate in the spacewalks on Thursday, October 12, and Friday, October 20. The first spacewalk will involve European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut Andreas Mogensen, and the second will involve NASA astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli.

Agency experts will provide a preview of the spacewalks during a press conference at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston on Friday, October 6, at 1:00 PM local time. The first spacewalk is planned to begin at 10:00 AM and is expected to last approximately 6 hours.

On October 12, O'Hara and Mogensen will exit the station's Quest airlock to collect samples to determine whether microorganisms are present outside the orbital complex. They will also replace the high-resolution camera on the station's truss and perform other maintenance tasks to prepare for future spacewalks.

O'Hara will serve as Extravehicular Activity (EVA) crew member 1 and will wear a red-striped suit. Mogensen will serve as EVA crew member 2 and will wear an unmarked suit. US spacewalk 89 will be the first spacewalk for both crew members.

On October 20, O'Hara and Moghbeli will complete the removal of a faulty electronic box called the Radio Frequency Group from the station's starboard beam and replace one of twelve Rotary Bearings called the Alpha Rotary Joint on the truss structure. The bearings allow the station's solar arrays to rotate properly to track the sun as the station orbits the Earth.

During this spacewalk, Moghbeli will serve as EVA crew member 1, and O'Hara will serve as EVA crew member 2. US spacewalk 90 will be the first spacewalk for Moghbeli and the second for O'Hara.

The second spacewalk is set to begin at 7:30 AM and is expected to last approximately 6.5 hours.