ISS astronauts to test new Russian spacesuits
14:38, 5 June 2009
MOSCOW. June 5. KAZINFORM. Two astronauts aboard the International Space Station will conduct a spacewalk on Friday to install new equipment and test new Russian-made spacesuits, Russia's Mission Control said; Kazinform refers to RIA Novosti.
Russian Commander Gennady Padalka and U.S. Flight Engineer Michael Barratt, wearing Orlan-MK computerized spacesuits, will install three antennas for the Kurs auto-docking system to receive a Russian MIM-2 small research module, which will be delivered on board the next Progress cargo spacecraft.
The five-hour spacewalk is scheduled to start at 10:45 Moscow time (06:45 GMT), Mission Control said.
The Orlan-MK's main improvement is the replacement of the radio-telemetry equipment in the Portable Life Support System backpack which contains a mini-computer. This computer processes data from the spacesuit's various systems and provides a malfunction warning. It then outlines a contingency plan which is displayed on an LCD screen on the right chest part of the spacesuit; Kazinform cites RIA Novosti. See www.en.rian.ru for full version.