The cosmonauts brought inside the station a panel which tested a new glue for sealing air leaks onboard spacecraft and an experimental solar array, which had been exposed to the environment of space for a year and a half. During the next few hours the crew was expected to tighten the screws of the hatch separating them from the vacuum of space and fill the airlock with air, before returning into pressurized compartments of the station. In the next few days the mission control specialists expect to review still photos and videotapes made by the crew during the spacewalk. The crew is expected to rest during the weekend. In the past few hours, the cosmonauts inspected one of the solar panels attached to the Kvant 1 module and found the location of damage to the wiring that conveys energy from the array.
Preliminary data show that a short circuit burned the wiring at the base of the panel.
Working on the exterior of the Kvant 1 module, Kalery physically rotated the panel in its socket, ensuring there were no mechanical problems. Two folding panels were delivered to Mir by the space shuttle in 1995 along with the station's docking module and later were transferred to the Kvant 1 module. One panel, capable of generating 100 amperes failed in March and currently does not supply electricity to the station. The second array functions normally, a Mission Control representative said. During the spacewalk, the cosmonauts also made a trip to the docking module of the station, where they removed the experimental thin-film solar panel.