New International Docking Adapter To Install This Friday, Aims For Space Vehicles To Dock In The Future

NASA astronauts Kate Rubins and Jeff Williams will install the new International Docking Adapter this Friday at 8:05 A.M. EDT. This aims for future crew vehicles from Boeing and Space X to dock in the future.

Meet the International Docking Adapter https://t.co/bIE5mC8XsT

— Игорь Павленко (@PavlenkoPeoner) July 31, 2016

The International Docking Adapter (IDA) is a spacecraft docking system adapter, which involves the docking and berthing of spacecraft. These join two space vehicles. The docking is the joining of two separate free-flying space vehicles. On the other hand, berthing is the mating operations where an inactive vehicle is placed into the mating interface of another vehicle utilizing a robotic arm. It also aims to re-establish America's capability to transfer astronauts to and from the International Space Station (ISS).

Following 4 spacewalks in 2015, astronauts will install an International Docking Adapter during a #spacewalk Friday.https://t.co/URYQOkDJ9X — Intl. Space Station (@Space_Station) August 15, 2016

On Wednesday evening the docking adapter will be extracted from the rear of the Space X Dragon space freighter. Then, the Canadarm2 will maneuver the new adapter just a few inches away from the forward end of the Harmony module until Friday when Rubins and Williams will complete the installation in their 6.5-hour spacewalk, according to NASA.

Rubins and Williams will be supported in their spacewalk by Takuya Onishi from the Japanese Aerospace exploration Agency. Onishi will oversee the progress from inside the ISS during the installation work. Zeb Scoville, the spacewalk flight director said that there's a very coordinated interplay between the external crew outside, Tak on the inside and the ground doing the commanding. The installation work by the two astronauts will be aired on NASA TV starting 6:30 A.M. EST (10:30 GMT), according to Sputnik News.