Johnson Space Center to take lead for 3 upcoming spacewalks

HOUSTON – There's another big task for the Johnson Space Center in Clear Lake.

JSC will take the lead on three upcoming spacewalks, the first of which is on Friday.

It sounds routine enough, but these particular missions will have a focus on the future in space.

Astronauts aboard the International Space Station are getting ready for the three spacewalks. Each will last more than six hours.

Their mission is to prepare the orbiting lab about 250 miles from Earth for the arrival of commercial spaceships.

Commercial cargo already arrives.

"We're trying to take that to the next level with commercially launched capabilities for crew. And in order to do that we as an SS program have to give them a place to come to. So these EVAs (Extravehicular Activity) or the first couple really are focused on establishing that port to have a commercial vehicle come and see us," Kenneth Todd, ISS Operations Integration Manager, said.

Friday's spacewalk will focus on future commercial crew vehicle dockings.

In other words, NASA wants a private U.S. company to carry astronauts to the space station.

That would replace relying on the Russians to deliver astronauts to the station as we have since the space shuttle was retired six years ago.

"Peggy and Thomas will be acting as construction workers, electricians and scientists to install a lot of hardware," Alex Kanelakos, U.S. EVA #42 Spacewalk Officer, said.

Astronauts will also start replacing an electronics part that powers equipment for science experiments outside the space station.