Spaceflight Now: Breaking News

Mir spacewalk called a success
MIRCORP NEWS RELEASE
Posted: May 13, 2000

  Mir
Mir. Photo: NASA
 
The first commercially financed spacewalk was completed Friday, meeting the goals set for the multi-hour extravehicular activity (EVA) outside of the Mir space station.

After opening the hatch on the Kvant-2 module at 1044 GMT (6:44 a.m. EDT), cosmonauts Sergei Zalyotin and Alexander Kalery made a test of future repair techniques for manned spacecraft. For this experiment, they applied a sealing compound on a test panel that represented an external section of a space station.

The crew then moved across the station to the Kvant-1 module, where they inspected a damaged solar array on the module. The examination showed that electrical cables were burned a confirmation of damage suffered during a short circuit several months ago.

Zalyotin and Kalery then had a close-up look at the Progress M1-2 cargo spacecraft which arrived at Mir on April 27 and is docked to rear of Kvant-1. Videotape and still photos of the Progress were recorded by the cosmonauts.

An experimental film solar array installed on the Kristall module's airlock docking compartment in 1998 was disassembled and transferred into the station through the Kvant 2 airlock. The cosmonauts then made a detailed examination of the station's external surface to see how material and structures have faired during their long exposure to space. Their visual inspection was documented by video footage and still photos.

Kalery and Zalyotin returned to the Kvant-2 module, and reentered the station bringing them with the test panel that was treated with the sealing compound at the start of the EVA. They closed the hatch at 1536 GMT (11:36 a.m. EDT), completing their historic spacewalk.

Friday's EVA is part of a long-duration mission organized by MirCorp, the private company that holds an exclusive lease for commercial activity on the Russian-built and owned Mir station.