Flight engineer Oleg Kotov handles new shields for the Zvezda service module. Part of the international space station since 2000, Zvezda is only now having shields installed to fend off dangerous space junk (Image: NASA TV)
Two crew members ventured from the international space station on Wednesday to install metal shields designed to protect against the impact of orbital debris.
Station commander Fyodor Yurchikhin and flight engineer Oleg Kotov floated out of an airlock on the Russian side of the station at 15.05 EDT (19.05 GMT), about an hour later than planned, due to a glitch with communications equipment. They were back inside about five and a half hours later.
During the outing, the cosmonauts fitted five aluminium debris impact shields to the forward part of the crew's living quarters, a Russian-built module known as Zvezda that has been in orbit for seven years. The shields measure about 60 by 90 centimetres, and weigh up to 9 kilograms.
