ISS - Expedition 44 Mission patch.
August 10, 2015
Image above: Image above: Cosmonaut Mikhail Kornienko is seen working outside the International Space Station in a Russian Orlan spacesuit. Image Credit: NASA TV.
International Space Station Expedition 44 Commander Gennady Padalka and Flight Engineer Mikhail Kornienko of the Russian Federal Space Agency completed a spacewalk lasting 5 hours, 31 minutes at 3:51 p.m. EDT. The spacewalkers rigged new equipment on the Russian segment of the complex and conducted a detailed photographic inspection of the exterior of the outpost.
Image above: Cosmonaut Mikhail Kornienko gets ready to close the hatch to the Pirs airlock ending the spacewalk. Image Credit: NASA TV.
This was the 188th spacewalk in support of space station assembly and maintenance, totaling 1,177 hours, or the equivalent of 49 days. Padalka’s ten spacewalks total 38 hours, 37 minutes. Kornienko’s two spacewalks total 12 hours, 13 minutes.
Russian cosmonauts conduct spacewalk outside ISS
While the cosmonauts were working outside the station, NASA astronauts Scott Kelly and Kjell Lindgren, along with Kimiya Yui of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, sampled lettuce from the Veggie plant growth system on the International Space Station at 12:46 p.m. EDT. Lindgren first harvested half the crop and cleaned the “Outredgeous” red romaine lettuce.
Veggies in Space: Astronauts Sample Freshly Grown Lettuce
NASA is maturing Veggie technology aboard the station to provide future pioneers with a sustainable food supplement — a critical part of NASA’s journey to Mars. This is the first time a station-grown crop has officially been on the menu for station crew members. The remaining lettuce will be frozen on the station until it can be returned to Earth for scientific analysis.
ROSCOSMOS Press Release (in Russian):
РОСКОСМОС: ВЫХОД В ОТКРЫТЫЙ КОСМОС ПО РОССИЙСКОЙ ПРОГРАММЕ ЗАВЕРШЕН УСПЕШНО http://www.federalspace.ru/21631/
More details about the Veggie harvest is here:
Meals Ready to Eat: Expedition 44 Crew Members Sample Leafy Greens Grown on Space Station: http://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.ch/2015/08/meals-ready-to-eat-expedition-44-crew.html
For more information about Veggie, visit here: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/383.html
International Space Station (ISS): http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/index.html
Images (mentioned), Videos, Text, Credits: NASA/NASA TV.
Best regards, Orbiter.ch
