2 NASA astronauts take spacewalk at ISS

This NASA TV frame grab shows astronauts Shane Kimbrough and Peggy Whitson on January 6, 2017 outside the International Space Station. (Photo by AFP)

Two NASA astronauts have ventured through a spacewalk at the International Space Station to upgrade the lab's power system.

The cosmonauts installed adapter plates and electrical connections for new lithium-ion batteries. The new batteries are expected to last until 2024.

The station has four sets of solar powered arrays, each equipped with 12 nickel-hydrogen batteries to provide electricity when the lab is in Earth's shadow.

The batteries are losing their ability to hold a charge and all 48 will be replaced over the next few years with smaller, more efficient lithium-ion batteries.


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