Italy’s Samantha Cristoforetti teamed up with Russia’s Oleg Artemyev to work on the International Space Station’s newest robotic arm. The 37-foot (11-meter) mechanical limb — a contribution from the European Space Agency — was launched into orbit with a Russian lab last July. The recently replaced head of the Russian Space Agency, Dmitry Rogozin, threatened to halt installation work last week, casting doubt on the spacewalk. Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February, Europe pulled out of cooperation with Russia on a mission to Mars. An Italian astronaut teams up with a Russian cosmonaut for a spacewalk, a cosmic show of unity as tensions over Ukraine continue (July 21 / THE ASSOCIATED PRESS) Despite the turmoil on Earth, the space station’s seven inhabitants have repeatedly stressed that they are doing well up there, as have the flight control teams in Houston and Moscow. The current crew includes three Americans, three Russians and Cristoforetti. Russian cosmonauts usually pair up together for spacewalks, although NASA and European Space Agency astronauts occasionally dated them years ago. Before getting down to the task of installing the arm, Artemyev launched 10 minisatellites into the sea, one by one, in an experiment of radio technology. Each weighed just 1 pound (half a kilogram) and rotated slowly as they were released. The first six got away safely, but the seventh crashed into a solar wing and space station frame. Artemiev said the contact was too gentle. NASA agreed that there was no concern for damage. Russian Mission Control urged Artemiev to be more careful, and his pitch improved for the final three satellites. The seven-hour spacewalk was a first for Cristoforetti, the lone woman in the European Space Agency’s astronaut corps. Artemiev, the station commander, is now a six-time spacewalker.
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