Astronaut Sophie Adenot installs antenna on ISS after two spacewalks
French astronaut Sophie Adenot, together with American crew member Anil Menon, installed a new Space-to-Ground Antenna on the International Space Station. The work was carried out on August 25 during a spacewalk that lasted six and a half hours.
The antenna provides communication between the ISS and the Mission Control Center in Houston, Texas. As France 24 reports, Adenot called the operation successful.
Second attempt to replace the antenna
Adenot and Menon’s first spacewalk took place a week earlier. They were unable to complete the antenna replacement due to problems with bolts and connectors. This spacewalk was the first in history conducted by a French woman.
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According to Adenot, during the first attempt the crew encountered every possible mechanical problem. She noted that the crew felt pressure before the second spacewalk and considers the successful completion of the work after only two attempts almost a miracle.
Observations from orbit
The astronaut also spoke about signs of climate change that she sees from orbit at an altitude of about 400 kilometers above Earth. According to her observations, France, which was green at the time of launch in February, turned gray-yellow in summer. She also saw smoke from fires, drying lakes, the rapid shrinking of the Aral Sea, and islands usually covered by only a thin layer of water.
Adenot called being in orbit an experience that changes one’s view of the world. According to her, nearly all planned scientific experiments of the mission have already been completed. NASA has also announced a third spacewalk by September 1, in which Adenot is expected to take part alongside Swedish-American astronaut Jessica Meir.
