Astronauts test new space suits

MOSCOW, June 6 (UPI) -- Two astronauts on the International Space Station tested new Russian-made suits during five hours of work on the docking system, station officials said.

Russian commander Gennady Padalka and U.S. flight engineer Michael Barratt Friday wore Orlan-MK computerized space suits to install three antennas on the Kurs auto-docking system, RIA Novosti reported Saturday.

The Orlan-MK suits have a mini-computer in their life support system backpack which monitors the suit's systems and issues a warning during malfunctions.

The computer then gives the astronauts a contingency plan, displayed on an LCD screen attached to the right breast of the suit. Previously, astronauts had to memorize responses to emergency situations and then try to recall them during the stress of a malfunction, Russian space officials said.

During a second spacewalk scheduled for June 10, Padalka and Barratt are to work in the depressurized docking bay of the Zvezda module to install a docking cone, RIA Novosti reported.