Timelapse highlights as Tim Peake assists on space walk

NASA astronauts Scott Kelly and Tim Kopra conducted a space walk early on December 21, 2015 to prepare the International Space Station for various activities, including the docking of a Russian spacecraft.

The rail vehicle is part of the station’s mobile transport system, which is normally used to transport people and equipment, including the station’s big robot arm. The craft’s Mobile Transporter rail auto stalled after being moved to a new location by Mission Control in Houston.

A pair of US astronauts successfully latched a stalled rail vehicle in space outside the International Space Station during a hastily planned spacewalk that lasted about three hours, USA space agency NASA said Monday.

Former Army Air Corps officer and helicopter test pilot Major Peake, 43, has trained to undertake EVAs and may get a chance to exercise his space legs himself during his six-month mission. It’s been stuck since Wednesday last week, and the team needs to sort it out before a cargo supply ship arrives in two days.

“That was pretty easy”, Kelly said, according to a live broadcast of the spacewalk on NASA television. Kelly and Kopra were approved to complete the additional task during the EVA. Kopra also retrieved some tools stored on the side of the station for a future spacewalk.

The Progress was launched without a hitch from Russia’s Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan today at 2:44 p.m. local time (12:44 a.m. PT). Two hits performed by space station commander Scott Kelly helped to move cart forward.

Tim Peake calls his parents from the International Space Station – but they were out, so he leaves a message on their answerphone instead.