The spacewalk ended after just half an hour, although they had planned to spend three hours on the task. The reconnected cables should permit the panels to be turned remotely, allowing them to be oriented to capture the maximum possible amount of sunlight and convert it into electricity. A Russian Space Agency spokesman also hinted that Mir, scheduled to be deorbited in mid-1999, might stay up even longer. Vyacheslav Mikhailichenko told Reuters that further delays with the Russian-built Service Module for the International Space Station, caused by Russian economic woes, may prompt Russia to keep Mir in orbit until the Service Module can be launched.
Technology is technology after all.