Russian cosmonauts to inspect mysterious hole on spacewalk

Two Russian cosmonauts are preparing to venture outside the International Space Station to inspect a section where a mysterious leak has been discovered.

The leak was spotted on August 30 in the Russian Soyuz spacecraft attached to the station. The crew quickly located and sealed the tiny hole that created a slight loss of pressure, and space officials said the station has remained safe to operate.

Russian cosmonauts Oleg Kononenko and Sergei Prokopyev will conduct a six-hour spacewalk Wednesday to inspect the Soyuz's outer surface.

They will uncover the thermal insulation covering the patched hole and take samples that would be studied by experts.

Roscosmos chief Dmitry Rogozin has previously said that the hole could have been drilled during manufacturing or while in orbit.

(With inputs from agencies.)