After 12 years, Sunita Williams, of Indian descent, embarks on a spacewalk.
Indian-origin NASA astronaut Sunita Williams recently embarked on a spacewalk outside the International Space Station (ISS) alongside colleague Nick Hague, marking her first spacewalk in 12 years and the eighth in her career. The mission, designated US Spacewalk 91, is expected to last around six and a half hours.
Task and Equipment Details
During the spacewalk, Hague serves as spacewalk crew member 1, donning a suit with red stripes, while Williams is spacewalk crew member 2, wearing an unmarked suit. The astronaut duo is engaged in performing maintenance tasks and replacing hardware, as per NASA’s instructions.
Specifically, Williams and Hague are working on various upgrades and repairs, including tasks like replacing a rate gyro assembly that provides orientation control for the station and installing patches to cover damaged areas of light filters for the NICER X-ray telescope. They are also replacing a reflector device used for navigational data on one of the international docking adapters.
Future Missions and Delays
NASA has scheduled a second spacewalk for Williams and Hague on January 23, during which they will remove a radio frequency group antenna assembly from the station’s truss and collect surface material samples for analysis. Additionally, they will prepare a spare elbow joint for the Canadarm2 robotic arm.
However, NASA recently announced a delay in the return mission for Williams and another astronaut, as the launch of SpaceX Crew 10 has been pushed to late March 2025. Originally scheduled to return to Earth in February 2025 aboard a SpaceX Dragon capsule, the astronauts will now have an extended stay in space.
The decision to delay the return mission was made to allow additional preparation time for the new SpaceX Dragon spacecraft, ensuring the safety of the astronauts. Despite the delay, Williams expressed a desire to return home to her family but acknowledged the importance of the tasks at hand during her time in space.
Conclusion
Sunita Williams’ recent spacewalk highlights the ongoing work and maintenance required for the International Space Station, showcasing the dedication and expertise of astronauts like her and Nick Hague. As they continue their mission in space, their efforts contribute to advancements in space exploration and scientific research.