The ISS crew went into space

The crew of the International Space Station opened the outer hatch and began exit to outer space. This was announced by ITAR-TASS by the official representative of the Valery Lyndin Valery Lyndin, Moscow Region Center for Flight Management (TsPU).

According to him, at 10:58 pm Moscow time, Gennady Padalka and Michael Fink opened the hatch of the gateway chamber of the Russian junction compartment "Pier". Cosmonauts will work overboard for almost six hours.

Padalka and Finn should install on the outer surface of the Russian service module "Zvezda" laser reflectors and a video meter target for a docking system with the first European cargo ship of the ATV series - "Jules Verne".

Cosmonauts will also replace the Russian scientific equipment "Platan" and "edge", with the help of which scientists explore galactic space rays and pollution of the station body from the operation of the ISS engines.

Initially, the crew flight program for the ninth long expedition provided for only two planned exit to outer space. However, due to the refusal of the Remote power control unit, the American power gyroscope number two needed to organize the third, an unscheduled output of the crew, which, although it was transferred three times, was successfully carried out on the night of July 1, 2004. For the first time, Padalka and Fink work outside the station during the day - all previous outputs were held late at night.

Like the last time, the crew exits in proven and well-proven Russian spacesuit "Orlan-M".