(20 Oct 1997) Natural Sound
The two cosmonauts aboard the Russian Mir had to clear away a refrigerator door and other floating debris as they began their 'internal spacewalk' to boost power on the damaged space station.
Anatoly Solovyov and Pavel Vinogradov began a five-and-a half-hour walk into Spektr on Monday for their latest repair mission aboard the troubled Mir.
Spektr is the airless module that was damaged when it collided with a cargo ship in June.
The first order of business for the two cosmonauts was to clean out the floating junk inside Spektr so they could manoeuvre more easily inside the narrow module, which is only 14 metres (45 feet) long.
Their ultimate mission will be to re-configure cables that run between several solar panels and an out-of-commission computer on the Spektr, which lost pressure in a space crash four months ago.
The cosmonauts' assignment includes restoring the electric network within the system that rotates the module's solar batteries.
If successful, the reconnection will allow the panels to be properly adjusted towards the sun to soak up more energy and provide additional power to the space station.
But before they could start their work, there was a bit of housekeeping to do.
Amongst the floating debris inside Spektr was a refrigerator door and several bags.
The plastic bags were used to hold equipment or personal belongings of the American astronauts who lived in the module before it was damaged.
Vinogradov came across the astronauts' pictures of their wives, which were taped to the walls and told mission control in Korolyov that there were many pretty girls in space.
The cosmonauts then taped the floating bags to the wall - and found a safe place for the refrigerator door - as they prepared to re-route the cables.
During the spacewalk, U-S astronaut David Wolf was in the Soyuz escape capsule in case the crew needed to evacuate quickly.
If the cosmonauts have any time left after completing their main mission, they will check for any holes punched in the Spektr module by the June crash.
The crew brought mirrors in order to look in difficult places for the damage, said mission control spokesman Vladimir Solovyov.
The spacewalk was delayed for about an hour due to lengthy final preparations, but Russian space officials downplayed it as a minor holdup for such a complex mission.
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