That's where the flying saucer legends come from
High above the Earth, two Russian cosmonauts spent seven and a half hours in the silence of space completing the painstaking work of bringing a new laboratory to life. Oleg Novitskiy and Pyotr Dubrov, on their third spacewalk of the expedition, continued the careful outfitting of the Nauka module — a word that means 'science' — weaving cables and installing hardware that will extend humanity's capacity for discovery in orbit. It was Russia's 50th planned spacewalk from the station's Russian segment, a quiet milestone in the long, collaborative project of maintaining a human presence beyond the atmosphere.
- Nauka had been docked since late July but remained unfinished, creating urgency to complete its wiring before the module could fulfill its scientific and operational purpose.
- An unexpected complication arose mid-spacewalk when a flat disc-shaped cable reel cover proved awkward to handle, prompting an unplanned decision about whether to jettison or stow it — a small but telling reminder that nothing in space is routine.
- One cosmonaut's joke that the disc was probably the origin of flying saucer legends briefly lightened the tension, before the crew resolved to stow it and discard it at the end of the EVA.
- By the time the hatch sealed at 6:16 p.m., the crew had routed ethernet and television cables, installed handrails, set up automated docking systems, and deployed two bio-risk experiments studying microorganisms in the vacuum of space.
- With this second spacewalk in six days, Nauka moves closer to becoming a fully operational hub — offering new research space, crew quarters, an airlock, and a docking port for future Russian spacecraft.
On a Thursday morning in early September, cosmonauts Oleg Novitskiy and Pyotr Dubrov floated outside the International Space Station for seven and a half hours, returning just six days after a previous spacewalk to continue outfitting Nauka, the new Russian science module that had arrived at the station in late July.
Exiting through the Poisk airlock, the two flight engineers worked with careful precision — routing an ethernet cable to carry data from the American segment to experiments on Nauka's exterior, installing four handrails for future spacewalkers, running cable bundles to connect television and data systems between Nauka and the Zvezda service module, and setting up the automated docking systems that will guide future Soyuz and Progress vehicles to the station.
Not everything went as planned. A flat, disc-shaped cover from the ethernet cable reel proved unexpectedly awkward to handle, prompting a brief debate with mission control over whether to jettison it or tie it down. One cosmonaut called it an 'amazing item'; his crewmate joked it was probably the source of all flying saucer legends. They ultimately stowed it and threw it overboard at the end of the EVA, along with a piece of removed thermal insulation.
The crew also deployed two bio-risk containers designed to study how bacteria and fungi behave in the hard vacuum of space — research aimed at understanding contamination risks for future planetary missions.
The spacewalk marked Russia's 50th planned EVA from the station's Russian segment, and the third for both cosmonauts on this expedition. When Nauka is fully outfitted, it will provide new research facilities, additional crew quarters, a third toilet, and a new airlock — deepening Russia's foothold in orbit for years to come.
On a Thursday morning in early September, two Russian cosmonauts floated outside the International Space Station for seven and a half hours, threading cables through the vacuum of space like electricians working on the world's most expensive construction site. Oleg Novitskiy and Pyotr Dubrov, both flight engineers on Expedition 65, had been here before—just six days earlier, in fact—and they were back to finish what they'd started: wiring up Nauka, the new Russian science module that had arrived at the station in late July.
The work was methodical and precise. Novitskiy, wearing an Orlan spacesuit with red stripes, and Dubrov, in blue, exited through the Poisk airlock at mid-morning and set about their tasks with the focus of people who know that a mistake up here is not easily corrected. They routed an ethernet cable to carry data from the American segment of the station to experiments mounted on the outside of Nauka. They installed four handrails to give future spacewalkers better handholds. They photographed the antennas on a Progress cargo vehicle docked nearby. They ran additional cable bundles to connect television systems and data lines between Nauka and the Zvezda service module, and they set up the automated docking systems that would guide future Russian spacecraft—both cargo vehicles and crewed Soyuz capsules—safely to the station.
Not everything went smoothly. When the cosmonauts freed the flat, disc-shaped cover from the ethernet cable reel, they faced an unexpected decision: should they jettison it as planned, or tie it down to the module's exterior? The object's shape made it awkward to handle. One of the spacewalkers, speaking to mission control, remarked on how tricky the disc was to manage, calling it an "amazing item." His crewmate seized the moment for a bit of levity, joking that this was probably where all those flying saucer legends came from. In the end, they decided to stow it temporarily and throw it overboard along with other discarded materials at the end of the spacewalk.
The two cosmonauts also deployed two bio-risk containers designed to study what happens to bacteria, fungi, and other microorganisms when exposed to the hard vacuum of space. The experiment is meant to help scientists understand what kinds of contaminants might pose risks on spacecraft headed to other planets. By the time they sealed the airlock hatch behind them at 6:16 p.m., they had completed their work and jettisoned the cable reel cover and a piece of thermal insulation they'd removed during the mission.
This was the 50th planned spacewalk originating from the Russian segment of the station, and the 58th overall conducted in Orlan spacesuits at the orbiting laboratory. For both Novitskiy and Dubrov, it was their third spacewalk. Nauka itself—the name means "science" in Russian—will give cosmonauts a new place to conduct experiments, serve as a docking port and airlock for future Russian spacewalks, and provide additional crew quarters and a third toilet for the station's residents. The module had been waiting for this kind of outfitting work since it autonomously docked in late July. When all the wiring is complete, it will expand the Russian research capabilities aboard the station and anchor the country's presence in orbit for years to come.
Notable Quotes
This shape is sort of tricky. Such an amazing item.— One of the spacewalkers, commenting on the ethernet cable reel cover
And that's where the flying saucer legends come from.— The cosmonaut's crewmate, joking about the disc-shaped object
The Hearth Conversation Another angle on the story
Why does it matter that this was the 50th spacewalk from the Russian segment specifically? Isn't a spacewalk a spacewalk?
The number tracks a program's maturity. Russia has been doing this work for decades. Fifty spacewalks from one segment of one station is a measure of sustained commitment and expertise.
And Nauka—it's been there since July, but they're only now wiring it up in September. Why the delay?
Spacewalks are scheduled carefully. You can't just go outside whenever you want. You need crew availability, weather windows, equipment readiness. The module arrived, docked safely, and then the real work of integrating it began.
The flying saucer joke—that felt human. Are cosmonauts usually joking around up there?
They are. The work is serious and dangerous, but they're professionals doing a job. A moment of levity doesn't mean they're not focused. It's how people stay sane during long, repetitive tasks in a hostile environment.
What happens if something goes wrong during a spacewalk? Can they just come back inside?
They can, but it's not simple. They're tethered, they're in constant communication with mission control. If something breaks or someone gets hurt, there are protocols. But the goal is always to prevent problems before you go out the door.
The bio-risk containers—studying bacteria in space. What's the practical application?
If we're going to Mars or beyond, we need to know what survives the journey and what doesn't. Microorganisms can contaminate equipment, damage materials, pose health risks to crews. Understanding them now means safer spacecraft later.