Russian astronauts take daring spacewalk

Source: Agencies  |   2008-7-11  |     ONLINE EDITION

IN a daring spacewalk, two space station astronauts cut into the insulation of their descent capsule yesterday and removed an explosive bolt that could have blown off their hands with firecracker force.

Spacewalkers Sergei Volkov and Oleg Kononenko managed, in the end, to safely disconnect the bolt from the Soyuz capsule that will be their ride home this fall. They immediately slid it into a blast-proof container.

"It is in," one of the Russian spacewalkers called out.

"Good. Thank God," someone replied in Russian.

Before the spacewalk, flight controllers in Moscow assured Volkov and Kononenko that the bolt would not explode and that the unprecedented job would help ensure their safe return to Earth in the Soyuz. Nonetheless, Mission Control repeatedly urged them to be careful as they worked near the explosives.

"Take your time," Mission Control warned. "Be careful; be careful, please."

NASA said that its own engineers were convinced the spacemen would be in no danger, and that it would be all right for them to put the explosive bolt in the blast-proof canister and take it into the international space station for eventual return to Earth.

The past two Soyuz descents have been steep, off-course and bone-jarring, and the Russian Space Agency wants to avoid the problem when Volkov and Kononenko fly home in October. The capsule currently docked at the space station ferried up the two Russians in April.

Kononenko used a serrated knife to cut away the thick shiny insulation surrounding the bolt _ a tool normally shunned by spacewalkers because of the possibility of piercing their pressurized suits or gloves. It was a messy job, with shreds of the multilayer insulation floating every which way.