Two Russian cosmonauts have installed protective shielding on the Russian side of the International Space Station, in an effort to protect the orbiting post from space debris.
The work was accomplished by Commander Fyodor Yurchikhin and flight engineer Oleg Kotov. The mission started at 3:05 p.m. ET and ended about 51/2 hours later.
Both men were tethered during the spacewalk to save them from floating away. During the spacewalk Sunita Williams the U.S. astronaut remained inside.
Engineers at various space agencies have always remained concerned about protecting the orbiting post from space debris, which include objects like discarded rocket parts, planetary dust and rocks. This is considered as the greatest threat to the space station which orbits about 220 miles above Earth.
The stack of the protective panels which consists of 17 panels was about 60 feet from the hatch and Kotov had to ride at the end of a crane operated by his partner to reach it. The panels are about 2 feet by 3 feet and weigh about 20 pounds each. These were delivered to the ISS last December and left outside in a formation which is called the “Christmas Tree”.
During this mission the cosmonauts installed five of these panels on a Russian section of the ISS the remaining panels will be installed during a second space walk scheduled next week.
Space debris is one of the greatest threats to the space station. Some scientists believe that there was a 9% risk that the International Space Station could be hit by space debris large enough to completely destroy the station and its occupants. The risk was lowered to 5% once the station is protected by panels. Sections made by NASA and the Japanese and European space agencies are already protected; the Russian sections are at the biggest risk. Engineers on the ground are able to monitor large space debris and can also alter the position of the space station accordingly, whereas the medium sized space debris cannot be monitored from the ground and this is the most dangerous.
The ISS crew will be receiving seven more astronauts who are scheduled to board the space shuttle Atlantis, which will be launched in the early part of next month.
Via: usatoday
