In another step toward boosting the Mir's power, two Russian cosmonauts plan a 5 1/2-hour spacewalk Monday to remove an old solar panel from the space station and make way for the installation of a new one later in the week.
The cosmonauts started getting ready Sunday, waking up at 10 p.m. local time and eating breakfast, said Mission Control spokeswoman Irina Manshilina.Anatoly Solovyov and Pavel Vinogradov must then begin the lengthy process of putting on their bulky spacesuits for the mission set for 4:30 a.m. Monday.
The two Russians must remove one of the station's 10 solar panels because it is wearing out. On Thursday, they are to head out again to install a new panel in its place.
The mission is part of an ongoing operation to increase Mir's power supply, cut nearly in half when the station was hit by a cargo ship during a practice docking in June.