CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — NASA’s astronaut Suni Williams experienced a long-awaited change of scenery on Thursday as she embarked on her first spacewalk since arriving at the International Space Station over seven months ago. Williams, who serves as the station’s commander, undertook essential outdoor repair tasks alongside her NASA colleague Nick Hague while the orbiting lab glided 260 miles (420 kilometers) above Turkmenistan.
“I’m coming out,” Williams communicated over the radio as she prepared to exit the space station.
The initial plan was for Williams to venture out once again the following week, this time accompanied by Butch Wilmore. Williams and Wilmore had launched on Boeing’s new Starliner capsule in June for what was supposed to be a week-long test flight. However, complications with the Starliner’s return led to their prolonged stay in space, with NASA ultimately deciding to send the capsule back to Earth empty. Furthermore, delays in the launch of their replacements by SpaceX mean that Williams and Wilmore will not return home until late March or early April, nearly ten months after their initial launch.
This spacewalk marked the first undertaken by NASA astronauts since an aborted attempt the previous summer. U.S. spacewalks had been placed on hold following an incident where water leaked into the airlock from the cooling loop of an astronaut’s suit. NASA confirmed that the issue has since been rectified.
For Williams, this spacewalk represented her eighth outing outside the confines of the space station, where she has previously spent time living and working.
___
The Associated Press Health and Science Department is supported by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science and Educational Media Group and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP assumes full responsibility for all content.
