Two Russian cosmonauts successfully dismantled a failing solar panel Monday on Mir and found time to do more repairs on the battered space station despite last-minute problems with a spacesuit.
The six-hour spacewalk went smoothly with Mir commander Anatoly Solovyov and crewmate Pavel Vinogradov removing the aging solar panel. A new panel is scheduled to be installed Thursday on a second spacewalk.U.S. astronaut David Wolf operated controls inside the Mir as his two crewmates worked outside.
It was another bit of good news for Mir, whose crew have been trying to reverse the effects of a collision in June and a string of other mishaps. Several recent repair missions have gone well.
Things did not look good when the mission was delayed for two hours after a problem was discovered with Solovyov's spacesuit. The suit's radio monitoring system was not working, making it impossible for Mission Control to track its oxygen supplies and other safety factors.
But Mission Control decided to go ahead with the spacewalk, cautioning Solovyov to keep a sharp eye on his suit's readings. There was no problem with the suit during the spacewalk.
"You should be more attentive and regularly report the pressure and report back," Mission Control chief Vladimir Solovyov instructed the Mir commander by radio.
"We carried out the spacewalk as planned but with a two-hour delay. This is unpleasant but not dangerous," Solovyov, the mission chief, later told reporters.
The cosmonauts worked efficiently, with few radio exchanges with Mission Control. After removing the solar panel, the cosmonauts made adjustments for a new carbon dioxide removal system and recovered several scientific experiments from Mir's hull.
Deputy Mission Control chief Igor Goncharov said the cosmonauts had been in no danger despite problems with the suit.