CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla.—NASA’s two stranded astronauts conducted their first joint spacewalk on Thursday, exiting the International Space Station nearly eight months after their arrival.
Commander Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore successfully removed a malfunctioning antenna and inspected the station’s exterior for any remaining microbes that may have survived the journey from Earth through the vents.
After encountering some difficulty in unbolting the stubborn antenna, the astronauts managed to detach it almost four hours later. Mission Control advised them to be on the lookout for any loose parts during the removal process.
During the spacewalk, which took place 260 miles (420 kilometers) above Earth, Williams set a new record for female astronauts.
Initially scheduled for a one-week stay when they arrived in June, Williams and Wilmore were forced to extend their mission after technical issues with their return spacecraft, Boeing’s Starliner capsule. They are now awaiting a ride back to Earth from SpaceX, which has been delayed until late March or early April, prolonging their mission to 10 months.
Williams had previously conducted a spacewalk with another NASA astronaut two weeks ago, while this was Wilmore’s first spacewalk on this mission. Both astronauts have experience with spacewalks from previous stays on the space station.
With a total of nine spacewalks, Williams has set a new record for women in terms of the most time spent spacewalking throughout her career. The previous record was held by retired astronaut Peggy Whitson, with 60 hours and 21 minutes accumulated over 10 spacewalks.
By Marcia Dunn
