Two Russian astronauts took a trip outside the confines of the International Space Station to launch a small Peruvian satellite.
Two Russian astronauts took a trip outside the confines of the International Space Station to launch a small Peruvian satellite.
Weighing in at just over 2 pounds, the orbiter’s mission is to take measurements of pressure and temperatures. It’s also outfitted with a camera so it can take pictures of Earth.
The satellite was created at the Peruvian National University of Engineering.
Said the university, it "represents an unprecedented effort in our country for the first time to achieve access to space and gives us the opportunity to open new fields to our own specific geographic and social reality application."
Russia assisted in the satellite’s transport to the station, delivering it in cargo shuttle earlier in the year.
Putting the module into orbit was done manually, and the Russian team donned their space suits and headed outdoors to fulfill the mission.
One handled the tossing of it while the other did his best to keep his helmet camera fixed on the launch.
Within a half an hour it was on course.
That task accomplished, the duo went about tending to several other outdoor experiments.
