Moscow - Two Russian cosmonauts will make a second attempt at a space walk from the Mir space station, and officials say the April Fool's Day exercise is no laughing matter.
"There will be no jokes. The cosmonauts have a very serious job to do," a spokeswoman for mission control said yesterday. The Mir engineer, Mr Nikolai Budarin, and the commander, Mr Talgat Musabayev, broke three wrenches trying to open the hatch on March 3rd and had to abandon that space walk. But they are better equipped after a supply ship brought extra tools on March 15th.
The deputy flight director, Mr Viktor Blagov, also ruled out any pranks, saying that the "main joke" would be if the cosmonauts actually managed to open the exit hatch.