CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — NASA’s two caught astronauts took their first spacewalk collectively Thursday, exiting the Worldwide House Station nearly eight months after transferring in.
Commander Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore floated out to carry out upkeep work and wipe the station’s exterior for proof of any microbes which may nonetheless be alive after launching from Earth and escaping by vents.
“Right here we go,” Wilmore stated as he emerged 260 miles (420 kilometers) above Spain.
The pair anticipated to remain only a week once they arrived on the area station final June. However their model new trip, Boeing’s Starliner capsule, encountered a lot bother that NASA determined to return it empty.
That left the 2 check pilots, each retired Navy captains, in orbit till SpaceX can carry them house. That received’t occur till late March or early April, extending their mission to 10 months due to a SpaceX delay in launching their replacements.
Williams carried out a spacewalk two weeks in the past with one other NASA astronaut. It marked Wilmore’s first time outdoors this journey. Each racked up spacewalks throughout earlier area station stays.
___
The Related Press Well being and Science Division receives help from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science and Academic Media Group and the Robert Wooden Johnson Basis. The AP is solely liable for all content material.