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Iss Space Walk Scheduled for Early July 1

Posted on: Monday, 28 June 2004, 06:00 CDT

MOSCOW. June 28 (Interfax) - A space walk to repair the International Space Station's (ISS) gyroscope is expected to take place in the early hours of July 1, Mission Control spokesman Valery Lyndin told Interfax on Monday.

This will be the second attempt to repair the gyroscope following a planned June 25 space walk, which was cancelled after NASA astronaut Michael Fincke's space suit developed a defect causing a sharp fall in pressure in the astronaut's oxygen cylinders.

Fincke and head of the ISS's Russian segment Vladimir Solovyov spent a little more than ten minutes in outer space before returning to the station.

"The defect in Fincke's space suit was most likely caused by the fact that its pressure infuser was not secured, leading to a sharp drop in pressure levels," Lyndin said.

An overnight session involving Russian and U.S. experts working at Mission Control produced a decision to conduct another space walk. Repairs of the gyroscope are expected to take about six hours.

The ISS has only two functioning gyroscopes. One stopped operating a year ago and another failed in April. The upcoming repair will focus on the one that malfunctioned in April.

Experts want the gyroscope to resume functioning as soon as possible. Another gyroscope failure would force the use of the ISS's engines to maintain the station's orbit, which would consume a large amount of fuel.

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