Russian Cosmonauts Successfully Complete ISS Spacewalk, Put Peruvian Nanosatellite Into Orbit (VIDEO)
By"One, two, three," called an International Space Station (ISS) crewmember and a tiny Peruvian satellite was off to observe Earth.
According to the Associated Press, Russian cosmonaut and ISS crewmember Oleg Artemiev performed a spacewalk Monday to release a four-inch satellite to orbit Earth. A project form the National University of Engineering in Lima, the nanosatellite arrived at the ISS earlier this year aboard a Russian cargo ship.
Packed with various instruments, the satellite will measure temperature and pressure, while its camera will take snapshots of Earth. While Artemiev released the nanosatellite, Alexander Skvortsov, his spacewalk partner, tried to track the device with the camera on his helmet.
"Artemyev deployed a Peruvian nanosatellite designed to take pictures of the Earth with a pair of cameras and transmit the images to a ground station," NASA said in a press release. "The project is part of an effort by the National University of Engineering in Peru to gain experience in satellite technology and emerging information and communication technologies."
After the first task was completed, Artemiev and Skvortsov turned their attention to installing new science equipment outside the Russian's area of the ISS, replacing old ones. The two arrived a few months ago and are joined by a fellow countryman, two Americans and one German.
SpaceX is planning a resupply mission in Sept. to provide the crew with fresh batteries for their space suits, the AP reported. NASA had wanted to resume performing spacewalks with its astronauts this month, but said it would rather wait for the new batteries.
NASA and every other ISS-affiliated space agency were reminded earlier this year of how risky spacewalks can be. Luca Parmitano, an Italian astronaut experienced a water leak in his suit's cooling system, a malfunction that could have killed him if he did not make it back inside quick enough.