NASA's 2 stuck astronauts take their first spacewalk together

30 Jan 2025, 14:30 by Marcia Dunn

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In this image, made from NASA TV, US astronaut Suni Williams works outside the International Space Station during a spacewalk, Thursday, Jan. 30, 2025. Credit: AP Photo/NASA TV

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.

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.

In this image, made from NASA TV, US astronauts Suni Williams, foreground, and Butch Wilmore, behind, work outside the International Space Station during a spacewalk, Thursday, Jan. 30, 2025. Credit: AP Photo/NASA TV
In this image, made from NASA TV, US astronaut Suni Williams works outside the International Space Station during a spacewalk, Thursday, Jan. 30, 2025. Credit: AP Photo/NASA TV
This image made from a NASA live stream shows NASA astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore during a press conference from the International Space Station on Friday, Sept. 13, 2024. Credit: NASA via AP, File
In this photo provided by NASA, Boeing Crew Flight Test astronauts Butch Wilmore, left, and Suni Williams pose for a portrait inside the vestibule between the forward port on the International Space Station's Harmony module and Boeing's Starliner spacecraft on June 13, 2024. Credit: NASA via AP, File

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.