CAPE CANAVERAL,Fla (AP)– NASA’s two stuck astronauts took their very first spacewalk with one another Thursday, leaving the International Space Station almost 8 months after relocating.
Commander Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore removed a busted antenna and cleaned the terminal’s outdoors for proof of any form of germs which will nonetheless dwell after introducing from Earth and operating away through vents.
After some first problem unlocking the cussed antenna, the astronauts in the end tore it off just about 4 hours after bulging the hatch. Mission Control prompted them to search for any form of drifting parts from the antenna elimination.
During the work 260 miles (420 kilometers) up, Williams established a brand-new spacewalking doc for girls astronauts.
The set anticipated to stay merely per week once theyarrived at the space station last June But their new journey, Boeing’s Starliner tablet, got here throughout quite a bit problem that NASA selected to return it vacant.
That left each examination pilots, each retired Navy captains, in orbit until Space X can convey them dwelling. That won’t happen until late March or very early April, increasing their objective to 10 months because of a Space X hold-up in introducing their substitutes.
Williams carried out a spacewalk 2 weeks in the past with another NASA astronaut. It important Wilmore’s very first time outdoors this journey. Both acquired spacewalks all through earlier spaceport station stays.
With 9 spacewalks, Williams established a brand-new doc for girls: probably the most time invested spacewalking over an occupation. Retired astronaut Peggy Whitson held the previous doc of 60 hours and 21 minutes, constructed up over 10 spacewalks.
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Marcia Dunn, The Associated Press