They were 2 hours ahead of schedule
Russian cosmonauts performed the first spacewalk from the International Space Station (ISS) in 2024, completing new extravehicular activities (EVAs) much faster than expected.
It was expected that Roscosmos cosmonauts Oleg Kononenko (TASS special correspondent on the ISS) and Nikolai Chub would spend 6 hours 36 minutes in space, but the cosmonauts completed all tasks in 4 hours 36 minutes.
Completing the spacewalk two hours ahead of time demonstrates the highest level of training of Russian cosmonauts. Denis Kravchenko, First Deputy Chairman of the State Duma Committee on Economic Policy, shared this opinion with TASS.
«All this time I was following the broadcast of this year’s first spacewalk by Russian cosmonauts Oleg Kononenko and Nikolai Chub. The spacewalk was completed two hours earlier than expected – four hours and 36 minutes after the start of VKD-62. This once again demonstrates the highest level of training of Russian cosmonauts,” said Denis Kravchenko, First Deputy Chairman of the State Duma Committee on Economic Policy.
He added that Russian test cosmonauts are recognized throughout the world as the most experienced professionals. Our rocket and space industry always sets itself global, at first glance, unattainable goals, but then persistently and confidently conquers them.
Oleg Kononenko and Nikolai Chub installed a small-sized radar on the surface of the Nauka module, and also installed the equipment for the Quartz-M experiments. and «Perspective-KM» outside the «Search» module. The «Biorisk-MSN» container was also dismantled. on the «Poisk» module, a pressure and sediment control unit was installed on the same module and swab samples were taken from the surface of the «Science» module.