NASA TV ? Reality TV goes Sci-Fi on your Smartphone

by Julie - on February 13th, 2012

Okay, I?m not proud of it, and there seems to be so much of it you cant help but watch it sometimes. I?m talking about reality TV. I don?t watch anything in particular, but for some reason if its playing in the background while I?m working, I get sucked in.. I haven?t seen more than one or 2 episodes of any show, and I never tell anyone I?ve seen even a single episode, but I have? there?s almost no way around it.

How how about THIS kind of reality? Two Russian cosmonauts will conduct a five-and-a-half-hour spacewalk, this Thursday,Feb 16th, in order to continue outfitting the International Space Station and,�NASA Television will broadcast this spacewalk beginning at 7:45 a.m. CST. And best of all, the action can be viewed right on your computer, iOS or Smartphone.

Russian Flight Engineers Oleg Kononenkoand Anton Shkaplerov from Expedition 30, will be moving one of the two Strela cranes from Pirs, the oldest Russian airlock and docking module, to the newer Poisk docking module. The 46-foot boom will be used for future assembly and maintenance work. The duo will also install five debris shields on the Zvezda service module and, if time permits, a small experiment on the forward section of the module, an experiment sample pack on Poisk and support struts on the Pirs ladder.

Both spacewalkers will wear Russian Orlan suits bearing blue stripes and be equipped with incredibly awesome NASA helmet cameras. They will emerge from the Pirs airlock at about 8:15 a.m. This spacewalk will be the 162nd for the purpose of space station assembly and maintenance. The last spacewalk occurred Aug. 3, 2011. For Kononenko, it will be his third spacewalk following two in July 2008 during Expedition 17. His two previous spacewalks lasted a total of 12 hours and 12 minutes. It will be Shkaplerov?s first spacewalk and the only one scheduled during Expedition 30.

I don?t know about you guys, but this kind of reality TV sends real�shivers down my spine?of course I can almost guarantee that no one is going to drink too much and start throwing things or quit? but one can dream?

For NASA TV streaming video, schedule and downlink information, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/ntv

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