ISS Fan Club

Expedition 16 Commander Peggy Whitson and Flight Engineer Dan Tani will replace a motor at the base of one of the International Space Station's solar wings during a 6.5-hour spacewalk scheduled to begin early Wednesday.

Whitson will wear the spacesuit with red stripes as the lead spacewalker, while Tani will wear the spacesuit with broken stripes. They are to leave the station's Quest airlock at about 5:20 a.m. EST, though the spacewalk could begin earlier. NASA Television coverage will begin at 4 a.m.

Most of the spacewalk will focus on replacement of the motor, called the Bearing Motor Roll Ring Module (BMRRM). Called the 'broom," the motor drives the starboard solar wings as they tilt along their axis to follow the sun for optimal power generation as the station orbits the Earth.