Astronauts Take Walk in Space to Do Repairs

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — Leaving their orbiting outpost unmanned, the international space station’s two astronauts floated outside on a spacewalk Friday and plugged in new antennas and replaced a worn-out piece of cooling equipment.

Gennady Padalka and Mike Fincke popped open the hatch on the Russian side of the spacecraft and quickly stepped through the fourth and final spacewalk of their six-month mission.

Their job: install three antennas for a new type of cargo carrier to be launched by the European Space Agency to the space station next year and replace a 2-foot-square Russian pump panel, part of a critical system for cooling station equipment. “Be careful,” Mission Control repeatedly warned.

The new pump assembly went in neatly. They installed hooks on exterior handrails, for use during spacewalks, and tossed antenna covers overboard as they connected the three antennas.