Jul 10 2008
From The Space Library
Russian cosmonauts Sergei A. Volkov and Oleg D. Kononenko removed an explosive bolt from a Soyuz spacecraft docked at the ISS. The spacewalk was the first for both cosmonauts. Despite experiencing some initial delays at the beginning of the 6-hour spacewalk, Volkov and Kononenko were able successfully to pry off the 3-inch (7.62-centimeter) bolt and to deposit it in a blast-proof case. If the bolt had accidentally discharged during its removal, the force of the explosion could have torn open the cosmonauts’ spacesuits. Russian engineers expected that the Soyuz mission scheduled for 23 October 2008 would return the bolt to Earth. The engineers hoped to study the bolt, to determine why similar bolts had failed or misfired during the Soyuz reentries of 21 October 2007 and 19 April 2008. Because of those malfunctions, the spacecraft had entered Earth’s atmosphere at steeper-than-normal angles, subjecting the crews to higher gravitational forces and causing the vehicles to land as far as 300 miles (482.80 kilometers) off course.
Mark Carreau, “Cosmonauts Remove Explosive Bolt on Daring Spacewalk,” Houston Chronicle, 11 July 2008.
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