Cosmonauts repair Soyuz explosive

Two Russian cosmonauts at the International Space Station have spent six hours retrieving an explosive bolt believed to be the cause of the Soyuz spacecraft's dangerously high-speed descent and landing on two recent missions, according to Nasa.

ISS commander Sergei Volkov and flight engineer Oleg Kononenko cut back insulation to get to the explosive bolt, which was then secured in a protective blast-proof case to be sent back to Earth for examination.

The risky operation required them to first remove the electrical cables that fire the bolts, to avoid sparking an explosion that could damage their space suits.