Cosmonauts On Mir Prep For Spacewalk

Cosmonauts On Mir Prep For Spacewalk


by Ted Gogoll


05/05/00 06:53:29 PM U.S. EDT

The two cosmonauts aboard the Mir station underwent medical tests Friday in preparation for next week’s spacewalk, or extravehicular activity (EVA). During the EVA mission, cosmonauts, mission commander Sergei Zalyotin and flight engineer Alexander Kalery, will test sealant equipment to coat the exterior of the station, where a microscopic crack has allowed oxygen to escape. Additionally, the base station core module will be inspected, along with one of the solar arrays on the Kristall module, according to Amsterdam, Netherlands-based, MirCorp, which leases Mir from Russia. MirCorp, along with other international investors, has invested about $30 million in hopes of turning the 14-year old Mir station into a space hotel. The EVA will be on Friday, May 12. MirCorp plans to have the cosmonauts onboard for at least 45 days.


Copyright AviationNow