NASA Astronauts Williams and Wilmore Complete Successful Spacewalk to Remove Faulty Unit

NASA astronauts Sunita Williams and Barry Wilmore carried out a 5-hour and 26-minute spacewalk exterior the International Space Station (ISS) on January 30, 2025, to take away a defective radio frequency group (RFG). The unit, a necessary a part of the station’s main communication system, had resisted earlier removing makes an attempt. The astronauts launched aboard Boeing’s Starliner and are presently a part of the Expedition 72 crew. After configuring their instruments, Williams was positioned on the Canadarm2 robotic arm whereas Wilmore labored immediately on the S-band antenna. The operation was accomplished regardless of earlier failures in 2023 and 2024.

Persistent Efforts Lead to Success

According to reports, earlier makes an attempt in April 2023 and October 2023 have been unsuccessful, with the latching bolt refusing to launch. Two scheduled spacewalks in June 2024 have been additionally aborted because of spacesuit points. Williams and Wilmore used numerous strategies, together with mechanical changes and handbook pressure, to lastly detach the unit. NASA astronaut Stephen Bowen, who participated in an earlier try, was in Mission Control to offer steering. After removing, the part was rigorously transferred to the Quest airlock for future refurbishment on Earth.

Record-Breaking Spacewalk by Williams

As per studies, Williams’ ninth extravehicular exercise (EVA) has set a brand new file for probably the most time spent in spacewalks by a feminine astronaut, with a complete of 62 hours and 6 minutes. The earlier file of 60 hours and 21 minutes was held by former NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson, who nonetheless maintains the file for probably the most EVAs carried out by a lady at 10. Wilmore’s whole EVA time has now reached 31 hours and a couple of minutes.

Scientific Samples Collected During EVA

In addition to the first job, Wilmore collected potential microbial samples from the outer floor of the airlock. Since 2014, Russian cosmonauts have carried out comparable research, however this marked the primary time NASA astronauts have gathered such knowledge. Due to time constraints and a minor battery concern in Williams’ swimsuit, a deliberate job involving the Canadarm2 robotic arm was postponed for a future spacewalk. This EVA marked the 274th spacewalk devoted to ISS upkeep, upgrades, and meeting since 1998