News

February 16-17, 2012.
Cosmonauts transferred the Strela cargo crane from Pirs to Poisk module

According to the International Space Station (ISS) flight program Russian cosmonauts, ISS flight engineers Оleg Kononenko and Аnton Shkaplerov performed a planned egress into space.

Preparation for extravehicular operations began on February 13, 2012. The cosmonauts configured the spacesuits, equipment to be mounted external to the station, Pirs module systems and assemblies required for EVA, as well as systems and assemblies of Zvezda module transfer compartment (to be used as a reserve airlock). Trainings with MCC specialists under the EVA timeline were accomplished, including contingency situation training.

During the EVA the cosmonauts transferred the cargo crane mounted external to Pirs module of the ISS Russian Segment, and installed it on Poisk research module (МRМ2). After that, they installed containers with materials to support Vynoslivost experiment on Poisk module; took samples from Zvezda working compartment surface within Test experiment activities.

During the activities the cosmonauts conducted photography of the installed equipment, other facilities and devices located external to the ISS RS.

The preparation and performance of extravehicular operations were monitored from Moscow Mission Control Center by RSC Energia specialists and organizations participating in the implementation of the ISS program.

 

For information:

1. This EVA was the 30th planned egress into space from the ISS RS. Totally, 36 RS-based EVAs were accomplished, including 6 contingency EVAs. This was the first EVA for А. Shkaplerov, and the third EVA for О. Kononenko.
2. The Pirs module egress hatch was open at 18:31 Moscow time on February 16, and closed at 00:47 Moscow time on February 17. The cosmonauts stayed in space for more than 6 hours.
3. The extravehicular operations of the Russian cosmonauts were monitored and followed by Russian cosmonaut A.Ivanishin, US. astronauts D. Burnbank, D. Pettit and astronaut of the European Space Agency A. Kuipers, which worked in the ISS pressurized compartments.