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energy is never too much
Astronauts install solar panels with Boeing technology on ISS
Painéis Solares
Divulgação/Boeing/NASA
Rafael Ramos
6/30/2021
Astronauts Shane Kimbrough, from NASA, and Thomas Pesquet, from the European Space Agency (ESA), took a spacewalk on Sunday, 20. The objective was to install solar panels on the International Space Station (ISS), to guarantee the energy source of the structure.
The walks took place on the 16th, 20th and 25th of June. Two of the six sets of solar panels were installed. The new 21-meter-long, 6-meter-wide ISS Roll-Out Solar Array (iROSA) panel assemblies have been successfully installed, according to NASA information.
"Kimbrough and Pesquet successfully deployed the solar panel, fixed it in place and connected the cables to the station's power supply to complete the deployment," the US agency said in a statement.
Painéis Solares
Divulgação/Boeing/NASA
In the spacewalk on Wednesday (16), technical delays meant that the installation of the equipment was only partial.
The new arrays contain stronger solar cells that are also more efficient than the previous ones. The new panels are capable of generating twice the energy in half the space of the original arrays, which they partially cover.
Boeing developed panels with the technology to be folded into a size small enough to fit inside the storage compartment of the SpaceX Cargo Dragon, which transported the panels to the ISS.
Astronautas instalando painéis solares
Divulgação/Boeing/NASA
The forecast is that in the next two years the ISS will have 20 to 30% more power, as four more panels will be installed. Thus, new scientific experiments, research and technologies can be developed in the Earth's low orbit.
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Rafael Ramos
Aviation enthusiast from an early age, he had his first contacts with the area developing that good old habit of spending dozens of hours in front of the screens of Micrsoft Flight Simulator and other simulators. With a solid background in various technological areas, including engineering and chemistry, Rafael has rejoined aviation as editor and author of articles and materials on our portal, providing invaluable help to the dynamics and expansion of the website and the aeronautical community, bringing us the news and updates so indispensable for us to remain current in our area of operation.
   
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