Two Russian cosmonauts completed the first spacewalk of 2022 outside the International Space Station to perform tasks that will allow spacecraft to dock with a new Russian segment.

Anton Shkaplerov and Pyotr Dubrov, of the Russian space agency Roscosmos, spent seven hours, 11 minutes outside the space station after exiting just after 7 a.m. EST.

The pair installed handrails, antennas and docking targets on Prichal module, which was launched and attached to the space station in November. They did not install two handrails as planned, instead stowing them for installation on a future spacewalk.

Three hours into the spacewalk, a Mission Control announcer in Houston had said the cosmonauts were on schedule.

"The crew is stepping through its timeline," the announcer said.

Prichal serves as a port where Russian Soyuz spacecraft carrying people can dock. The first such mission in March will carry three cosmonauts.

The spacewalk was Shkaplerov's third and Dubrov's fourth.

Prichal is attached to the Russian Nauka module, which arrived at the space station in July.

Russia's new investments in the international endeavor are seen as confirmation it intends to remain a partner in the space station through 2030, the extent of its expected lifespan.

During future spacewalks, cosmonauts will prepare a European robotic arm on the Nauka and activate its airlock for future spacewalk activity.

Related Links
Space Tourism, Space Transport and Space Exploration News

Tweet

Thanks for being here; We need your help. The Space Media Network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain. With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords. Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year. If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceMediaNetwork Contributor $5 Billed Once credit card or paypal		SpaceMediaNetwork Monthly Supporter $5 Billed Monthly paypal only

Data-relay system connects astronauts direct to Europe
Paris (ESA) Jan 18, 2022
Astronauts on board the International Space Station are connecting straight to Europe at light speed, thanks to the European Data Relay System. An upgrade to the communications system is delivering broadband internet speeds similar to those enjoyed by families on Earth. It means that experiments on board the International Space Station can be monitored from Europe in close to real time. Until now, data from investigations into the effects of radiation on seeds and biomining research had to b ... read more