Two Russian cosmonauts on six-hour space walk

Fyodor Yurchikhin and Oleg Skripochka are installing a new multi-purpose workstation on the side of a Russian space module and carrying out minor maintenance.

Yurchikhin, 51, is a veteran of four spacewalks, and he is guiding Skripochka on his first trip outside the station.The two cosmonauts are wearing new computerized Russian “smartsuits.”The suits have an operating time of nine hours, and are equipped with a multi-purpose screen that allows the cosmonauts to track their progress and receive updated instructions.The rest of the six-man crew, a Russian and three Americans, will be waiting aboard the Soyuz spacecraft, which is currently docked at the station ready to carry out an evacuation in case of emergency.The mission is being overseen by the space center outside of Moscow, working alongside colleagues in Houston.