On January 30, 2025, NASA astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore set a new record with a 5.5-hour spacewalk outside the International Space Station (ISS). This mission marked Williams' ninth spacewalk, during which she surpassed the previous record for the most time spent spacewalking by a female astronaut.
The primary objective of the spacewalk was to remove a malfunctioning radio frequency group (RFG) assembly from the station's exterior. Despite initial challenges, including a nearly four-hour struggle to detach the faulty unit, the astronauts successfully completed the task.
In addition to the RFG removal, Williams and Wilmore collected samples from the station's hull to analyze for potential microbial growth, providing valuable data for future missions.
This spacewalk was particularly significant as it was the first conducted by both astronauts since their arrival at the ISS in June 2024 aboard Boeing's Starliner capsule. Their mission, initially planned for a week, has been extended due to technical issues with the Starliner capsule, with their return to Earth now scheduled for March 2025.
For a visual overview of this historic spacewalk, you can watch the following
video:
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