Tim Peake assists with space walk

UK astronaut Tim Peake is helping two astronauts to conduct a space walk outside the International Space Station (ISS) on Monday. - Students Debt Consolidation Loans -

Fellow crew members Tim Kopra and Scott Kelly, from the US space agency Nasa, are going outside the ISS to fix a broken component. - Consolidating Private Student Loans -

As they got suited up and prepared to go out into space, they received assistance from Tim Peake and Sergey Volkov. - bad credit remortgages -

Mr Peake arrived at the ISS on Tuesday.

He is the first UK astronaut to be selected by the European Space Agency and will spend six months aboard the space station. - Free Forex Trading -

Dressing duties

The space walk was due to start at 13:10 GMT (08:10 EST) and should last between three and three-and-a-half hours, Nasa said. - free quote for car insurance -

But the astronauts' preparations proceeded faster than expected and the walk commenced at about 12:45 GMT. - Car Free Insurance Online Quote -

"It will be a very busy and interesting day for Tim," said Libby Jackson from the UK Space Agency.

The space walk is the seventh time ISS crew members have ventured outside in 2015. It is taking place so the astronauts can try to fix a stalled component called the "mobile transporter" - a rail car that moves a robotic arm up and down the length of the space station. - conference calling companies -

The mobile transporter became stuck on Wednesday.

"The cause of the stall is being evaluated, but experts believe it may be related to a stuck brake handle," said the mission's operations manager, Kenny Todd.

Space station managers want to ensure the component is latched down ahead of the arrival of a cargo supply ship at the ISS on Wednesday. Mr Peake's duties included getting the crew suited and out of the airlock while talking to mission control.

The space walk is the third in Mr Kelly's career and the second for Mr Kopra.

Giving blood

Meanwhile, Mr Peake, who is spending his first weekend in space, has thanked the thousands of people around the world who sent him good luck messages.

On his blog, he wrote: "The support for our launch was outstanding, and I want to thank each of you for the #GoodLuckTim messages.

"From the schoolchildren who watched the launch in class, people watching on the underground, and viewers outside of UK, your messages have shown how much interest there is in space and they mean a great deal to me. "We are very busy up here but I promise to start sharing more of our life in space soon."

On Friday, during a live link-up from the space platform, he said his first few days in space had been "absolutely spectacular"

Answering questions from reporters gathered at the European Astronaut Centre in Cologne, Germany, he said the first two hours had been "pretty rough" and he had been feeling "disorientated and dizzy".

But he was able to show them a backwards somersault and said he was surprised how quickly his body had adapted to weightlessness.

(Source by: bbc.com)