Space station crew begins first walk

Cosmonauts Mikhail Tyurin, left, and Vladimir Dezhurov pose for a photograph in the Zvezda Service Module.

By Amanda Barnett and
Porter Anderson
CNN

(CNN) -- Preparations have gone smoothly and two Russian crew members of the the international space station have begun a spacewalk to outfit Pirs, the station's new Russian-built docking compartment.

Pilot Vladimir Dezhurov (DJU-rov) and flight engineer Mikhail Tyurin (TEER-in) are scheduled to use the walk to attach scientific experiments to the outside of the Zvezda service module.

The spacewalk began just minutes after its slated 10 a.m. EDT start. Dezhurov and Tyurin have made their exits from Pirs. Their first effort will be to hook up a cable between the docking port and Zvezda. The cable will provide telemetry and data transmission for Russian Orlan spacesuits.

The spacewalkers are also expected to attach handrails, an access ladder and a cargo boom to Pirs while on the outside.

Space station commander Frank Culbertson will stay inside during this spacewalk.

United States commander Frank Culbertson is staying inside and monitoring the spacewalk. He'll take part in a later spacewalk.

Dezhurov went on five spacewalks while stationed aboard the Mir space station in 1995. Tyurin is making his first spacewalk.

This will be the first external spacewalk staged from Alpha without a space shuttle docked at the station. The spacewalk is expected to last at least four hours.