Two cosmonauts began their six-hour spacewalk outside the International Space Station to reinstall HD cameras.
On Dec. 27 the Russian cosmonauts successfully installed a high-resolution 4K “ultra-HD” video camera and a fixed-view medium-resolution camera on the hull of the Zvezda command module.
However, even after major troubleshooting, the flight controllers still failed to receive expected telemetry. The cosmonauts then were prompted to retrieve the cameras for additional assessment. Upon checking, the inspectors discovered a faulty internal wiring in the 4K “ultra-HD” video camera, which was easily corrected, and an improperly connected external cable in the still camera. After making sure the cameras were already good to go, space station commander Oleg Kotov and Sergey Ryazanskiy, the two Russian cosmonauts, were sent off to reinstall the cameras again.
Their spacewalk to the hull started at 9 a.m. EST Monday. For identification, Kotov, who was wearing NASA helmet No. 18, used the call sign EV-1. Ryazanskiy, on the other hand, was wearing NASA helmet No. 20 and used the call sign EV-2.
The cameras were installed for UrtheCast, a Canadian company that plans to downlink high-resolution Earth views to numerous subscribers around the globe, SpaceFlight Now reports.
UrtheCast CEO Scott Larson said in a statement that since the faulty wiring issues were “now resolved,” he was confident the two cameras would work properly now.
The installation of the cameras in the ISS is a profitable venture for the Vancouver-based Urthecast (pronounced “earthcast”).
It said that anyone with an Internet connection can get images from the installed cameras from their mobile phones, tablets or computers.
“UrtheCasts’ two cameras will stream unprecedented footage of our evolving Earth to anyone with an Internet connection. In near real time, you will be able to visit your favourite locales and learn about current events as they unfold,” said the company on its Website.
