Sochi Olympics 2014 torch takes a spacewalk

Two Russian astronauts floated out of the International Space Station (ISS) on Saturday with the unlit torch for the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi - a first in the history of the Games, dpa reported.

The torch has been equipped with a special tether to keep it from floating away during the spacewalk.

Expedition 37 flight engineers Oleg Kotov and Sergey Ryazanskiy were participating in photo and video sessions with the torch outside the station, and then would then stow it back inside the airlock before continuing with their six-hour spacewalk.

Ahead of the spacewalk, Kotov said: "We will do our best to make a beautiful picture so that the whole country and the whole world could see the torch outside the station against the background of the Earth."

The torch arrived at the ISS on Thursday after a six-hour flight. It was not lit for safety reasons.


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