Olympic Torch Goes On First Ever Spacewalk

Two Russian cosmonauts proper in Orlan spacesuits conducted an out-of-this-world hand-off of the Olympic torch at the start of Saturday's 5-hour, 50-minute spacewalk to put on an act maintenance on the International Fail Station. Tour 37 Drip Engineers Oleg Kotov and Sergey Ryazanskiy opened the gather strength to the Pirs docking unit at 9:34 a.m. EST and floated outdoor to undo a photo opportunity in the manner of the murky torch. An figure of international joist rule sports warfare, the Olympic torch clothed in at the space station Thursday aboard a Soyuz spacecraft hauling three new ring members - Tour 38 Drip Engineers Mikhail Tyurin, Wrench Mastracchio and Koichi Wakata. On Sunday, the torch option repetition to Earth aboard modern Soyuz spacecraft channel throw down in the manner of Tour 37 Boss Fyodor Yurchikhin and Drip Engineers Karen Nyberg and Luca Parmitano.

The spacewalk was a pretentious lie of a move that option come together in the manner of the torch being hand-me-down to light the Olympic sparkle at the Feb. 7 primarily ceremonies of the 2014 Iciness Olympic Athletics in Sochi, Russia.

Rossiya 24 computer screen and NASA Dwell TV showed one of the most typical actions in history in a live sift through from the ISS.

The original camera views captured Kotov waving the torch vs. the organized of blue-and-white orb of the Earth. Cosmonauts also thoroughly approved the torch to one modern, invention sure that the peculiarity term is steadfastly fortified to their spacesuits.

According to Russian commentators, the Olympic symbol "was exciting rule the blackness of exterior space 350 kilometers [217 miles] ultra the Earth in the manner of a speed of about 8 kilometers per jiffy."

Overdue Kotov and Ryazanskiy professional their photo and video bout in the manner of the torch outdoor the station, they stowed it agree with inside the airlock and proceeded in the manner of the break of their chores 260 miles ultra the Earth.

Drip Manipulate Oleg Kotov crash the Olympic torch at home a spacewalk outdoor the International Fail Station. Subject Credit: NASA TV

The two spacewalkers translated out to the hull of the Zvezda manage sequence to watch over the set up of a swill extravehicular activity CPU and biaxial pointing fix that was installed at home an Tour 36 spacewalk on Aug. 22.

Overdue installing a few handrails on the CPU, Kotov and Ryazanskiy loosened a trio of bolts and airy-fairy a put in place scaffold from the pointing fix. A high deal with camera system option be installed on the fix at home a spacewalk targeted for December.

The invention of a foot check on the greater than ever manage of the CPU was put off to a luck spacewalk after the spacewalkers noticed a few issues in the manner of its alignment.

For their perfect think responsibility, Kotov and Ryazanskiy deactivated the Radiometria worry sachet on Zvezda. Aimed to decide on information valuable in seismic forecasts and shiver predictions, Radiometria was installed on the station at home an Tour 26 spacewalk in February 2011. Overdue securing the experiment's cables, the spacewalkers headed agree with to the airlock to wrap up the set. The responsibility to crunch down and believe Radiometria's trunk was put off to a luck spacewalk.

The duo stopped the Pirs gather strength at 3:24 p.m., marking the policymaker end of the spacewalk.

All the rage the spacewalk, Yurchikhin, Parmitano and Nyberg were mournful to their Soyuz TMA-09M spacecraft and Zvezda, what Drip Manipulate Mike Hopkins was known factor to the Poisk sequence and his Soyuz TMA-10M craft. The protracted three ring members -- Mastracchio, Wakata and Tyurin - had entrance hall to meaningfully of the protracted area of the station, by means of the Zarya sequence, their Soyuz TMA-11M channel and the Rassvet sequence to which it is docked, as well as the comprehensiveness of the U.S. split of the station.

Saturday's spacewalk was the 174th in support of space station crew and maintenance, the fourth in Kotov's career and the first for Ryazanskiy. Kotov, who was chosen EV1 for the spacewalk wore the job in the manner of red stripes. Ryazanskiy, EV2, wore the job apparent in the manner of blue stripes.

This was the eighth spacewalk conducted at the station this meeting. In December, Tyurin option escort Kotov on his fifth spacewalk.

Credit: NASA, RIA Novosti