Astronauts make spacewalk to install solar panels

20 Mar, 2009 01:01 / Updated 15 years ago

Two US astronauts, Steven Swanson and Richard Arnold II, have made a six-and-a-half hour spacewalk to install the last set of solar panels for the International Space Station (ISS).

The new solar arrays will bring more power to the ISS to boost research programs and will allow the crew to double to six.

The last time new panels were delivered one got snagged on a guide wire and ripped, so the astronauts had to carry out emergency repairs.