Shuttle Atlantis astronauts start first spacewalk

Two astronauts on the US shuttle Atlantis have embarked on the first of three planned space walks to continue construction on the International Space Station, NASA television reported.

The two astronauts, Jim Reilly and John Olivas, emerged from the orbiting space station's airlock at 2002 GMT on Monday to start their work.

They are assigned the task of making power and cooling connections between the station and a new 16-tonne truss segment containing solar panels.

Before the astronauts left for their space walk, the S3/S4 truss segment was installed on the station with the help of the station's giant robotic arm. The truss's solar arrays will increase the station's power generation.

The space walk is scheduled to last about six-and-a-half hours, NASA said.
Source :http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com