ADVERTISEMENTs
.png)
Astronaut Sunita Williams completes spacewalk after 12 years
The mission, designated US Spacewalk 91, focused on essential maintenance and upgrades to the ISS.
Astronaut Sunita Williams / Image- Wikipedia
Indian-American astronaut Sunita Williams, along with NASA colleague Nick Hague, completed a spacewalk outside the International Space Station (ISS) on Jan. 16, marking her first extravehicular activity in 12 years.
Williams, donning an unmarked spacesuit, and Hague, wearing a suit with red stripes, began their spacewalk at 8:01 a.m. ET on Jan. 16. Their tasks included replacing a rate gyro assembly critical for the station's orientation control, installing patches on the NICER (Neutron Star Interior Composition Explorer) x-ray telescope, and upgrading a reflector device on one of the international docking adapters.
That view though
— NASA's Johnson Space Center (@NASA_Johnson) January 16, 2025
We interrupt today’s spacewalk coverage with a stunning time-lapse view of the first orbital sunrise of the mission. @NASA_Astronauts Nick Hague and Suni Williams began their work outside of the International @Space_Station today at 8:01am ET. So far they… pic.twitter.com/ZtCK01Okut
"NASA astronauts Nick Hague and Suni Williams stepped outside the Space Station to support vital station upgrades," NASA stated in a blog post. The duo also inspected access areas and connector tools needed for future maintenance on the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer.
This was the eighth spacewalk for Williams and the fourth for Hague. NASA's Johnson Space Center highlighted the event with a tweet, sharing a time-lapse view of the orbital sunrise witnessed by the astronauts during their mission.
A second spacewalk is scheduled for Jan. 23, involving Williams and astronaut Barry Wilmore. They will focus on removing a radio frequency group antenna assembly, collecting surface material samples, and preparing a spare elbow joint for the Canadarm2 robotic arm.
Williams' return to Earth, originally planned aboard a SpaceX Dragon capsule in February 2025, has been delayed. The launch of SpaceX Crew 10 is now set for late March 2025, allowing additional time to ensure astronaut safety.
Williams and Wilmore's extended mission follows the declaration that their initial return vehicle, Boeing's Starliner, is unfit for human travel. This unexpected extension has turned their eight-day ISS stay into a ten-month mission in space.
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
E Paper
ADVERTISEMENT
.jpg)
Video
.png)
.png)
.png)
.png)
.jpg)
Comments
Start the conversation
Become a member of New India Abroad to start commenting.
Sign Up Now
Already have an account? Login