On Thursday, two Russian cosmonauts ventured outside the International Space Station (ISS) to fulfill some of the necessary tasks under the Russian space program.

      Cosmonauts Oleg Kononenko and Anton Shkaplerov spent over six hours outside the orbital station to move a14-meter crane from a docking module to a small scientific module (MIM-2) and to install additional shields to protect the ISS from space debris. This spacewalk was the first for the ISS crew this year.

      The operation mainly was a success, without any extraordinary situations, though the cosmonauts weren't able to install all the additional shields because of the lack of time. 

      The Russian cosmonauts were wearing computerized Orlan-MK spacesuits, which have proved their effectiveness in previous spacewalks.

      The current ISS crew also includes NASA astronauts Don Pettit and Dan Burbank, Russian cosmonaut Anatoly Ivanishin, and European Space Agency astronaut Andre Kuipers. On 30 April 2012, some of them will return home, while the crew will increased with new members. 

Sources: Lenta.ru RIA Novosti RG.ru Image: galacticnews.ru