By — Marcia Dunn, Associated Press Marcia Dunn, Associated Press Leave your feedback Share Copy URL https://www.pbs.org/newshour/science/two-stuck-nasa-astronauts-take-their-first-spacewalk-together-after-eight-months-aboard-the-international-space-station Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Tumblr Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Two stuck NASA astronauts take their first spacewalk together after 8 months aboard the International Space Station Science Jan 30, 2025 10:23 AM EDT CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — NASA’s two stuck astronauts took their first spacewalk together Thursday, exiting the International Space Station almost eight months after moving in. Commander Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore floated out to perform maintenance work and wipe the station’s exterior for evidence of any microbes that might still be alive after launching from Earth and escaping through vents. “Here we go,” Wilmore said as he emerged 260 miles (420 kilometers) above Spain. READ MORE: Out-of-this-world space missions to watch in 2025 The pair expected to stay just a week when they arrived at the space station last June. But their brand new ride, Boeing’s Starliner capsule, encountered so much trouble that NASA decided to return it empty. That left the two test pilots, both retired Navy captains, in orbit until SpaceX can bring them home. That won’t happen until late March or early April, extending their mission to 10 months because of a SpaceX delay in launching their replacements. Williams performed a spacewalk two weeks ago with another NASA astronaut. It marked Wilmore’s first time outside this trip. Both racked up spacewalks during previous space station stays. We're not going anywhere. Stand up for truly independent, trusted news that you can count on! Donate now By — Marcia Dunn, Associated Press Marcia Dunn, Associated Press
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — NASA’s two stuck astronauts took their first spacewalk together Thursday, exiting the International Space Station almost eight months after moving in. Commander Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore floated out to perform maintenance work and wipe the station’s exterior for evidence of any microbes that might still be alive after launching from Earth and escaping through vents. “Here we go,” Wilmore said as he emerged 260 miles (420 kilometers) above Spain. READ MORE: Out-of-this-world space missions to watch in 2025 The pair expected to stay just a week when they arrived at the space station last June. But their brand new ride, Boeing’s Starliner capsule, encountered so much trouble that NASA decided to return it empty. That left the two test pilots, both retired Navy captains, in orbit until SpaceX can bring them home. That won’t happen until late March or early April, extending their mission to 10 months because of a SpaceX delay in launching their replacements. Williams performed a spacewalk two weeks ago with another NASA astronaut. It marked Wilmore’s first time outside this trip. Both racked up spacewalks during previous space station stays. We're not going anywhere. Stand up for truly independent, trusted news that you can count on! Donate now