NASA astronauts all set for spacewalk today

Two US astronauts will perform a spacewalk outside the International Space Station (ISS) on Wednesday.

Washington: US astronauts Scott Kelly and Kjell Lindgren are all set for a spacewalk on Wednesday, October 28, outside the International Space Station (ISS).

Both Kelly and Lindgren, who are first-time space-walkers, will focus on station upgrades and maintenance tasks, including installing a thermal cover on the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer, which is a state-of-the-art particle physics detector that has been attached to the station since 2011.

It will be the 32nd spacewalk performed by US astronauts and the 189th over the life of the ISS.

The six-and-a-half hour walk will be streamed live on NASA TV beginning at 6:30 am ET. You can also watch the spacewalk live on the NASA app on your smartphone or follow live updates on @Space_Station Twitter.

Expedition 45 commander Kelly, who is more than halfway through a yearlong mission on the orbiting laboratory, will have spent 522 days in space by the end of it. He topped the previous record of 382 days held by Mike Fincke in space.

Kelly will also set another US record for consecutive days in orbit later this month, surpassing the 215-day mark established by Mike Lopez-Alegria in 2006.

During a spacewalk, astronauts are encased in spacewalking suits or (“Extravehicular Mobility Unit,” in NASA parlance) that weigh more than 350 pounds.

Another spacewalk is scheduled for the pair on November 6, where they will attempt to restore the port truss ammonia cooling system to its original configuration.