Nasa astronauts begin spacewalk to prepare docking port for shuttles

Station commander Barry Wilmore and flight engineer Terry Virts set out on six-and-a-half-hour spacewalk, the first of three outings over the next eight days

A pair of US astronauts floated outside the International Space Station on Saturday to begin rigging parking spots for two commercial space taxis.

Station commander Barry "Butch" Wilmore, 52, and flight engineer Terry Virts, 47, left the station's Quest airlock shortly before 8am ET to begin a planned six-and-a-half-hour spacewalk, the first of three outings over the next eight days.