Internal Spacewalk (IVA) accomplished on 22.08.97 from 1114-1430 UTC. Some minor technical irregularities caused a delay of more than 2 hours. The crew worked according to a checklist (cyclogram). This checklist contained hundreds of items. The activities according to this checklist continued when the Mir was out of range of tracking stations or the geostationary Altair-2. This time Altair-2 was in use for phone conversations only. Altair-2 was active long before the IVA began, for instance during orbit 65734 from 0640-0732 UTC. The crew donned their spacesuits and Foale went on board Soyuz-TM26.

According to plan the preparations for the IVA had to be concluded and the hatch to Spektr had to be opened during the window in orb. 65735, 0826-0910 UTC. A valve (KVD) between the P.Kh.O. and one of the modules (possibly module-T) could not be closed which caused a delay of about 1 hour.

In orbit 65736 (0958-1043 UTC) all went well and at 1015 UTC the pressure in P.Kh.O. (serving as airlock for this IVA) was 50 mm. At that moment the pressure in the space suit of Vinogradov decreased due to a leak in his left glove. The crew immediately repressurised the P.Kh.O. They did this before the end of the window and Vinogradov could put on a spare glove. At 1114 UTC when the Mir was out of range the hatch to Spektr had been opened.

Orbit 65737, 1135-1216 UTC.:

IVA going on. All went well. Solovyov had joined Vinogradov inside the module. Vinogradov had already connected cables at the connectors of the new hatch and except for a single cable he did not met problems. During this window and the following one (orb. 65738/39, 1310-1400 UTC) V. and S. inspected the interior of Spektr and retrieved a lot of thus far not specified items from there. During these activities they consulted Foale. Vinogradov reported that he saw ventilators and pumps which were still working. He and S. did not find traces of exploded monitors or test-tubes. They did not succeed in finding places where the hull of Spektr had been penetrated. At last V. and S. left the Spektr to prepare the closure of the hatch. Foale , keeping a log book, reported that the hatch had been closed at 1430 UTC.

After repressurising the P.Kh.O. in orb. 65740 (1448-1528 UTC), Foale joined his colleagues over there. In a short statement he expressed his admiration for the achievements of his crew mates and those on Earth who had been working on this operation. Chris v.d. Berg, NL-9165/A-UK3202.