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Watch Live As Russian Cosmonauts Conduct Spacewalk

© Russian Federal Space AgencyRussian cosmonaut Alexander Misurkin conducts a check of his spacesuit, “Orlan-MK,” before his Friday spacewalk.
Russian cosmonaut Alexander Misurkin conducts a check of his spacesuit, “Orlan-MK,” before his Friday spacewalk. - Sputnik International
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Space enthusiasts from around the world can watch two Russian crew members from the International Space Station (ISS) Friday as they conduct a spacewalk to prepare the orbital outpost for the arrival of a new Russian laboratory later this year.

WASHINGTON, August 16 (RIA Novosti) – Space enthusiasts from around the world can watch two Russian crew members from the International Space Station (ISS) Friday as they conduct a spacewalk to prepare the orbital outpost for the arrival of a new Russian laboratory later this year.

It will take more than six hours for the two crew members, cosmonauts Fyodor Yurchikhin and Alexander Misurkin, under the direction of Commander Pavel Vinogradov, to put equipment in place for the arrival of the module and to begin preparing for an optical telescope to be installed later this year, according to a NASA press release about the spacewalk.

“They plan to continue routing power and Ethernet cables for the future arrival of the Russian Multipurpose Laboratory Module, which will be launched aboard a Proton rocket from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan,” NASA said.

Watch the spacewalk live:


Live streaming video by Ustream

“They also will install on the Poisk module a panel of experiments designed to collect data on the effects of the microgravity environment in low-Earth orbit,” the US space agency added.

The journey marks the 172nd spacewalk in support of assembly and maintenance performed on the $100-billion orbiting laboratory built by 15 countries.

But not all such missions are routine.

Last month NASA has to abort a spacewalk when water leaked into the helmet and spacesuit of an Italian astronaut, drenching his nose and mouth. And there have been several other instances, including one in 2004 when Russian cosmonaut Alexander Kaleri ended a spacewalk early because of a build-up of water in his helmet.

As for the latest in space fashions, Yurchikhin is wearing a Russian Orlan suit bearing red stripes, and Misurkin is wearing a suit with blue stripes. Misurkin’s suit also will be equipped with a US helmet camera to provide close up views of the work he will be performing outside the station, NASA said.

 

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