Working Against the Clock, Astronauts Conduct Spacewalk

According to NASA, Mr Kopra reported a small water bubble in his helmet after essential work was finished, so a decision was made to terminate the walk.

The spacewalk, or in astronaut jargon, is called Extra-Vehicular Activity (EVA) and was mean to last for six-and-a-half hours.

The astronauts planned to use a syringe to take a water sample and retrieve the helmet absorption pad to determine what may have prompted the moisture to form.

Astronauts Tim Peake (the first official United Kingdom spacewalker) and Tim Kopra will spend around 6.5 hours replacing the voltage regulator, restoring power to one of eight power channels.

The team had accomplished their main objective which was the replace a faulty shunt which had stopped electricity from passing to the station from one of its main solar panels. The space agency also voiced concerns that the connections may be dirty, so Major Peake has fashioned an instrument out of toothbrush to give them a clean.

Earlier Major Peake, from Chichester, West Sussex, told of his pride in stepping into space with the Union flag on his space suit.

Major Peake, a former Army Air Corps and helicopter test pilot, is the first Briton aboard the ISS and the first fully British professional astronaut employed by a space agency.

As the airlock re-pressurised, the ESA said the early termination of the spacewalk was officially completed at 17.31 GMT, four hours and 43 minutes in.

That work will be rescheduled, NASA said.

Major Peake replied: “It’s great to be wearing it. A privilege, a proud moment”. Like rock climbers, the astronauts must always be tethered to Space Station supports.

A handful of previous spacewalkers held dual U.S.-British citizenship, but flew as Americans for NASA.

Mr. Parmitano tweeted Friday afternoon that he was happy to see the two astronauts make it safely back inside the ISS.

In a blog post yesterday Major Peake said he felt “exhilarated” but had “no time to dwell on these emotions”.

After completing the replacement, they moved on to install cables for a docking port for Nasa’s future manned spaceships.

To distinguish between the two Tims, Mission Control used both their first and last names when calling out to them in the void.