Russian Cosmonauts Find Hole in Soyuz Spacecraft During Spacewalk

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KOROLEV (Moscow Region) (Sputnik) - Russian cosmonaut Oleg Kononenko removed part of micrometeorite protection of the Soyuz MS-09 spacecraft's hull and discovered a hole under it, a Sputnik correspondent reports from the Russian Mission Control Center (MCC), where the Russian cosmonauts' spacewalk is broadcast.

Kononenko reported to the MCC that he found a hole.

"Yes, we also observe it [the hole]," an MCC officer, who is communicating with the astronauts, responded.

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First, Kononenko removed part of the screen-vacuum thermal insulation, which covered the meteorite protection. After that, he cut the protective with snips and unbent it. Then he cut off the bent part (a piece about eight by eight inches) and put it into a container.

The cosmonauts added they saw yellow-black formations around the hole in the spacecraft.

"Some kind of double-flowering yellow. And black ones," Kononenko said, answering what he saw around the hole, and was there any fabric there.

READ MORE: Russian Cosmonauts Inspect Hole in Soyuz MS-09 Outside Space Station (VIDEO)

During the sealing of the hole in August, the cosmonauts placed a cloth saturated with a sealer on it.

Now Kononenko had to take two swipe samples from the hole area and then apply a patch piece and secure it with clips.

It was also planned to take photo and video of the hole area.

The cosmonauts later ended work on the outer surface of the Soyuz spacecraft not fully completing the planned tasks, and returned aboard, a Sputnik correspondent reported on Wednesday from the Mission Control Center (MCC), where the spacewalk was being broadcast live.

"Return home," an MCC operator commanded.

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The Mission Control Center warned the cosmonauts that the computer of the spacesuit could inform them of the shutdown of the carbon dioxide removal system, but asked them not to worry, as this alert was due to old system settings.

"This is for the old nine-hour patron," the operator told the cosmonauts.

After the completion of the work with the hole, the cosmonauts were to apply a patch piece and secure it with clips. The ground crew decided not to do it.

Kononenko and Prokopyev did not have time to pick up the containers of the Test and the Endurance experiments left for display on the Poisk research module, but this task was not a priority. It was planned to be executed only if the cosmonauts had time left after working with the spacecraft's hull.

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