We’re not *always* weightless on the @Space_Station.

Plumbing aboard the @Space_Station, and a quick tour behind the Node 3 Deck 4 rack.

Llullaillaco at the border of Chile and Argentina. Nerding out on geology. Check out those lava flows!

My second spacewalk: upgrading the 1B power channel with an ISS Roll-Out Solar Array. An even better time-lapse from Dmitry Petelin.

The amazing @ZionNPS from the @Space_Station. Zoom in and you can pick out Angel’s Landing.

Atmospheric density exponentially decays with altitude, but the decay rate at orbital altitudes depends on solar activity, making long-term predictions difficult.

One correction: I said off the cuff the orbit would decay over the coming days to weeks. It’s actually years – reentry timing has high uncertainty, but estimates center around summer 2025. Primary driver of orbital decay is drag from tiny remnants of Earth’s atmosphere.

Jettisoning @Space_Station hardware we no longer need with the @csa_asc robotic arm.

When we need a quick restraint but don‘t have an APFR at the worksite. APFR is a better restraint, but it takes time to retreive one, move it to the worksite, and change settings. BRT we have with us at all times.

Several tens of pounds, depending which tools are installed. The entire suit is several hundred lbm.

The consumables that typically limit our duration are METOX (CO2 scrubbing), battery, and water. O2 is another consumable but is not typically limiting. EVAs are often in the 6-7hr range outside, and ground controllers continually update estimates for what the limiting consumable is.

The PGT displays a turn count when it torques out, but we are trained to count turns visually at the socket. One key reason is that the trigger is large and with a gloved hand it‘s super easy to accidentally depress the trigger while switching hands or moving the PGT into position, leading the PGT to count turns that didn‘t go into the bolt.

Unlikely, but we definitely pee our pants (into a diaper). ~10hr in the suit including prebreathe; it‘s physical work and hydration is important.

Here’s an overview of common tools we use on almost every spacewalk.

Pieter it was an honor to come on the pod. Thanks so much for having me!

Typical Daily Planning Conference (DPC) aboard the @Space_Station.

Reentry timing has high uncertainty, but estimates centered around summer 2025.

The Flight Support Equipment (FSE) departs into the blackness of space. The @csa_asc robotic arm jettisoned it a month after it carried two @Space_Station Roll-Out Solar Arrays during their launch on @SpaceX CRS-28. A couple weeks ago I was crawling around the outside of that thing!

Working with @Astro_Alneyadi to change out an avionics unit deep inside our treadmill. She’s back up and running, pun intended.

On the list!