Two International Space Station crewmembers successfully completed a 6-hour, 18-minute spacewalk Thursday despite a reported spacesuit malfunction.
Russian cosmonaut Mikhail Tyurin and U.S. astronaut Michael Lopez-Alegria left the space station at 5:27 a.m. and finished their work at 11:45 a.m. National Aeronautics and Space Administration controllers in Houston said the two men retracted a malfunctioning antenna on a Progress cargo carrier docked at the station and checked navigation systems in preparation for the summer docking of a European cargo craft.
The Russian news agency Interfax said Tyurin's Russian-made spacesuit's thermal regulation system apparently malfunctioned during the spacewalk. Tyurin said he felt cold when stepping into a shadow, suggesting there was a problem with the mechanism that controls the suit's temperature and humidity levels. The problem also caused fogging of the spacesuit's visor, NASA reported.
It was the fifth spacewalk for Lopez-Alegria and Tyurin during the current mission -- a record for ISS crews. The spacewalk was Lopez-Alegria's 10th, a U.S. record.
Copyright 2007 by United Press International
Related stories:
ISS Crew Wraps Up Successful Spacewalk
Expedition 14 Commander Michael Lopez-Alegria and Flight Engineer Mikhail Tyurin retracted a stuck antenna on a cargo spacecraft during a 6-hour, 18-minute spacewalk that ended at 10:45 a.m. CST Thursday.
ISS crew prepares for spacewalk
Members of the International Space Station crew have successfully conducted a series of tests in preparation for their historic Thursday spacewalk.
Expedition 14 Crew Completes 3rd Spacewalk
With all scheduled tasks accomplished, Commander Mike Lopez-Alegria and Flight Engineer Suni Williams finished a 6-hour, 40-minute spacewalk Thursday. Their completed tasks will allow for the attachment of a cargo platform during the STS-118 mission this summer and relocation of the P6 truss during STS-120 later this year.
Three Back-to-Back Spacewalks Coming Up on Station
The first of three spacewalks in nine days by International Space Station Commander Michael Lopez-Alegria and Flight Engineer Sunita Williams is scheduled to begin Wednesday at 10 a.m. EST.
NASA schedules four ISS spacewalks
NASA astronauts are to conduct an unprecedented series of four spacewalks during the next month at the International Space Station.
Spacewalkers Tee Off on Science, Mechanics
Two International Space Station crew members wrapped up a 5-hour, 38-minute spacewalk from the Pirs docking compartment airlock at 12:55 a.m. EST Thursday. The spacewalk included a golf shot that merited a high-flying birdie rating.
Fore! ISS crew to shag a golf ball
A Russian cosmonaut and his U.S counterpart won't worry about someone playing through when they tee up a golf ball at the International Space Station.
Astronauts face hardest spacewalk to finish repair
(AP) -- Astronauts up on the international space station faced the longest and hardest spacewalk of their mission Saturday, a seven-hour-plus excursion to wrap up repair work on a gummed-up joint.