Oleg Artemyev has a certain routine when it comes to spacewalks. However, there are technical problems with his seventh trip into space, which lead to the immediate termination. Artemyev reacts coolly.
The Russian cosmonaut Oleg Artemyev had to abort a field mission at the International Space Station ISS because of a technical problem. “Oleg, you must return to the airlock as soon as possible,” the Russian control center ordered more than two hours after the start of the spacewalk, according to a live broadcast by the US space agency NASA. “Let go of everything and come back,” it said several times.
The 51-year-old, who, together with his colleague Denis Matveyev, completed a field mission to install cameras on the ISS, had previously reported unusual voltage specifications for the battery in his space suit. “Please don’t worry, everything is okay,” radioed the control center. “Me? Worry? No way,” the cosmonaut replied.
Artemyev returned to the ISS airlock and reconnected to the space station’s power system. He then waited for Matveyev to collect the materials used in the spacewalk and join him in the airlock. The spacewalk was declared over after about four hours.
The astronauts got out of the station at around 3:53 p.m. CEST for various work. Their field work was actually planned for a period of almost seven hours. Three Russians, two Americans, one American and one Italian are currently working on the ISS.
“The situation is under control,” said the Russian space agency Roskosmos. “The cosmonaut’s health is not in danger.” Both cosmonauts are fine. NASA says they were never in danger. It was Artemyev’s seventh spacewalk and Matveyev’s third.
(This article was first published on Thursday, August 18, 2022.)
