NASA's 2 stuck astronauts take their first spacewalk together

Table of Contents

The astronauts took their first spacewalk together on Thursday, exiting the International Space Station almost eight months after moving in.

I removed a broken antenna and cleaned the station's exterior to see if there were any remaining signs of microorganisms that could have survived following its launch from Earth and entry into the vents.

After some initial trouble loosening the stubborn antenna, the astronauts finally managed to remove it nearly four hours after opening the hatch. Mission Control warned them to look out for any loose parts that might have fallen off during the antenna's removal.

During her job 260 miles up in space, Williams set a new record for the most spacewalks performed by a female astronaut.

Their newly-acquired spaceship, Boeing's Starliner capsule, was plagued by problems, so NASA chose to have it return to Earth empty.

The two test pilots, both retired Navy captains, are stuck in orbit until SpaceX can retrieve them, which won't occur until late March or early April. This extension will push their mission to 10 months due to a delay in SpaceX launching their replacements.

Two weeks ago, Wilmore was outside with another NASA astronaut. This was Wilmore's first time outside on this particular trip. Both astronauts had previously performed spacewalks during their previous stays at the space station.

Williams set a new record for women by spending the most time in spacewalks throughout her career, surpassing the old record held by retired astronaut Peggy Whitson of 60 hours and 21 minutes, which was earned over 10 spacewalks.

___

The content of the AP Health and Science Department is supported by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute's Science and Educational Media Group and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, but all stories are created entirely by the Associated Press.