Japanese, US astronauts on spacewalk to fix robotic arm

WASHINGTON: A Japanese and an American astronaut floated outside the International Space Station Friday on a spacewalk to repair the orbiting outpost´s robotic arm and move some equipment into storage. The spacewalk is the first for Japanese Aerospace Agency (JAXA) astronaut Norishige Kanai, and the fourth for his US counterpart Mark Vande Hei. The outing began at 7:00 am (1200 GMT) when the duo switched their spacesuits to battery power before venturing out into the vacuum of space. It is expected to last six and a half hours. Kanai, 41, is a medical doctor and diver who goes by the nickname “Neemo.” The Tokyo-born lieutenant in the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force became an astronaut in 2009.