Two space walkers fixed a camera on the outside of the international space station on Monday and threw overboard a data - collecting device  , sending it rolling off into space like a football. The new camera will help space station astronauts add new pieces onto the orbiting  station. Mr Arthur and his Russian crewmate left the or biting station unmanned during the 5 - hour spacewalk. Normally, one crew member stayed aboard while two others worked outside. But the space station crew has been reduced to two since the space shuttle prefix = st1 /Columbiadisaster in 2003, and it has been left empty nine times during spacewalks since then. The device thrown overboard was once used to collect data on electrical activity around the space station. It was designed to work for only a few months and was no longer needed. Engineers were afraid pieces might break off and damage the space station, so they decided to cut it loose. The device, which weighs about 60 pounds and has solar panels that extend about 2 feet, is expected to burn up in the atmosphere in about three months. Happily, the space walking pair helped each other into their spacesuits without the help of a third crew member. The space walk was put off by an hour because of trouble with the US airlock , which did not depressurize   completely at first. But the pair quickly made up for the lost time as they worked outside. It was the first time in two years that space walkers exited through the USairlock. According to the scientists, the device thrown overboard would_.
return to the earth burn up in space in about three months be recycled and reused stay in outer space for a long time