International Space Station hit by meteorite

The International Space Station crew will make an unscheduled spacewalk to check solar batteries hit by a small meteorite.

Two NASA astronauts are expected to spend seven hours in space assisted by a Russian cosmonaut aboard the station.

The space walk will start at 11pm GMT, and the astronauts will fix the batteries if they find any damage.

The need to check the energy supply is made more urgent by the upcoming arrival of two modules – the European Coulbus and the Japanese Kibo.