ISS crew prepare for spacewalk

A spacewalk outside the International Space Station is planned to be held on the night of June 24, a spokesman for the Mission Control Center said Wednesday.

Early Wednesday morning, the crew had a dressed rehearsal (they put on their spacesuits) in the station. The specialist conclusion was that the crew was completely ready for the spacewalk at the scheduled time.

"At a morning conference, Russian and American specialists decided to return to the earlier-approved work schedule," the spokesman said.

The flight program of the ninth ISS crew initially only had two spacewalks planned - in late July and late August. The third spacewalk was required to repair a circuit breaker on an American gyroscope that malfunctioned on April 21, 2004.

The spacewalk dates have been changed four times. Presently, the ISS bearings control is maintained by its two (out of four) working gyroscopes and the Russian microengines. The other American gyroscope failed on June 6, 2002. Only a Shuttle, whose flights have been suspended, can bring the heavy replacement to the ISS.