Live in orbit: Smile, Zvezda

Astronaut Mike Fincke and cosmonaut Yury Lonchakov have nearly completed a photographic survey of the International Space Station's Zvezda service module, the second major goal of a spacewalk that is running well ahead of schedule today.

The two spacewalkers stepped out of the Pirs docking compartment's airlock at 12:22 p.m. EST.

After accomplishing several tasks, including installation of a European materials experiment, they took hundreds of pictures of 28 targets to document the service module's condition after nearly nine years in space.

Targets included thrusters, radiator panels, insulation, hand rails, docking mechanisms and navigational antennas, including one that helps dock approaching Russian spacecraft.

Lonchakov had to manually dock a Progress cargo vehicle last fall after the automated system failed.

The pictures are part of a project called "Panorama" to give Russian flight controllers an updated picture of the Zvezda module's condition, including whether it has suffered any damage from micrometeorite debris or needs any immediate maintenance.

Fincke and Lonchakov are expected to head back inside after finishing their camera work.

Russian mission controllers feathered a set of solar arrays attached to the service module to ensure a clear path back to the hatch.

They believe Fincke - visible in the pictures in the spacesuit with red stripes - might have inadvertently touched one early in the spacewalk, but if so, it caused no harm to Fincke or the array.

The spacewalk, which was expected to last five hours and 45 minutes, is said to be running over an hour ahead of schedule.