ISS's 6th Crew to Make First Space Walk

On Wednesday, January 15, Expedition 6 crew of the International Space Station, ISS, is expected to make the first space walk, Sergei Puzanov, PR co-ordinator of the NASA representation at the Russian Mission Control Centre, said Tuesday.

Kenneth Bowersox, the US astronaut in command of the expedition, and flight engineer Donald Pettit are expected to walk into outer space at 3.30 p.m. Moscow time, reported Mr Puzanov. They are going to finish up the effort to equip the Station's girders and install solar panels on them afterwards, a 6-hour-long job envisaged by NASA's programme.

"The astronauts will mount and deploy thermal control system radiators and install illuminators along the girders," said Mr Puzanov. The illuminators will allow the astronauts to work in outer space even when the Station is in the shade, i.e. at night.

Russian cosmonaut Nikolai Budarin will monitor the effort from an ISS module "covering" the astronauts.

The 6th crew has been working on board the ISS since early December 2002. Its shift will end in March 2003.