One of NASA‘s trapped astronauts got a much-needed change of scenery as she stepped outside the space station for the first time in seven months.
Suni Williams and her fellow astronaut Butch Wilmore have been stranded on the International Space Station (ISS) since June last year.
The pair had intended to stay for just eight days after arriving in Boeing’s Starliner capsule, but engine failures and helium leaks meant they could not safely return.
Yesterday, Williams and NASA astronaut Nick Hague embarked on a six-hour spacewalk to conduct repair work on the outside of the station.
As Williams enjoyed her first moments outside the ISS, many social media users were shocked to realise she was still stranded in space.
Outraged space fans flocked to X (formerly Twitter) with one even dubbing Williams a ‘captive worker’.
‘They’re like indentured servants at this point,’ the furious commenter added.
Williams and Wilmore were originally scheduled to return home in February this year, but further delays mean they will be stuck on the ISS until at least March.
Suni Williams (pictured), one of NASA’s stranded astronauts, stepped outside the International Space Station for the first time in seven months
Williams and Wilmore will likely remain on the station until at least March or April after the failure of the Boeing Starliner (pictured)
Mission commander Williams and flight engineer Wilmore took off from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida on June 5 for a test flight of Boeing’s new Starliner capsule.
The plan was to ride Starliner out of the atmosphere, perform a few test manoeuvres, and dock with the ISS for an eight-day stay before returning to Earth in the same capsule.
However, things almost immediately began to go wrong for the problem-plagued capsule as the craft experienced thruster failures and a helium leak.
In September last year, Starliner was sent back to Earth empty, touching down in New Mexico after slowing its descent with parachutes.
That choice left the Boeing test crew stuck aboard the ISS without their vehicle until someone could be sent to get them.
That means the pair might not get back to Earth until April at the very earliest – 10 months after they left home.
Since their arrival, yesterday’s spacewalk was the first time that Williams has been able to escape the cramped confines of the station.
However, on social media, many expressed their shock and disappointment that Williams and Wilmore had not yet been able to return to Earth.
As Williams enjoyed her first moments outside the station, one commenter dubbed her a ‘captive worker’ due to the fact she is still trapped in space
Another pointed out that Williams was only meant to have a ‘week’s vacation’ and has now spent the second longest time in space of any American
One commenter angrily demanded to know when Williams and Wilmore would return to Earth
One commenter wrote: ‘I appreciate that Suni Williams is just doing sidequests at this point.
‘She was meant to be on a week’s vacation to the ISS and now she’s spent the second longest amount of time in space of an American.’
Another angrily asked: ‘When are they going to be back on Earth?’
Meanwhile, other users joked that Williams was ‘stepping out to get some fresh air after being unexpectedly cooped up for months.’
‘Sometimes you just gotta get outta the house,’ one commenter wrote.
Another joked: ‘We can understand! Guys get pretty bored holed up inside the station & went out for a garden walk to loosen their limbs a bit!’
Likewise, some commenters suggested that Williams might be taking her resue into her own hands.
One commenter joked: ‘Frustrated with NASA, astronauts figure it’s easier just to walk home.’
Some commenters joked that Williams was only ‘stepping out to get some fresh air’ after her seven-month stint inside the ISS
Commenters felt they could relate to the feeling of just needing to get out of the house
One commenter added that Williams had gone ‘out for a garden walk’ to stretch her legs
While another cheekily added: ‘If it’d been me I would’ve stepped outside and said ‘F*** it, I’m walking home”.’
Despite the social media reaction, the spacewalk had a more serious purpose which was to perform essential repairs outside of the ISS.
After spending the last few days undergoing rigorous health checks and inspecting their equipment, Williams and Hague donned their suits early Thursday morning.
At 08:00 EST (13:00 GMT), the astronauts switched their suits over to battery power, marking the official start of the spacewalk.
‘I’m coming out,’ Williams radioed as she emerged from the orbiting lab 260 miles above Turkmenistan in Central Asia.
The astronauts replaced equipment, repaired one of the station’s telescopes, and replaced a navigation device on a visiting vehicle.
Williams got a close-up look at the SpaceX capsule that will bring her home this spring, floating just a few feet away from the parked vessel as she struggled with a chore.
However, she managed to safely conduct the repairs without putting any dents in her ride home.
A commenter suggested that Williams was fed up with waiting and decided to make her own way back to Earth
One commenter joked that they would have decided to walk home after remaining trapped in space for so long
Suni Williams (left) arrived at the ISS with Butch Williams (centre) in June last year for what was supposed to be an eight-day stay. On Thursday, Williams was joined by NASA astronaut Nick Hague (right) for her first excursion from the station since arriving
This marks Williams’ eighth spacewalk and brings her total cumulative time spent in extra-vehicular activity to 56 hours and 40 minutes
Williams also made important repairs to the ‘rate gyro assembly’, a key piece of equipment which helps the ISS stay in the same orientation.
At 08:01 EST (19:00 GMT), after six hours of work, NASA announced that the spacewalk was officially over.
This marks Hague’s fourth time working outside the station and the eighth for Williams, making her one of the most experienced spacewalkers in NASA’s history.
Williams, who has stayed on the ISS before, has already spent 56 hours and 40 minutes in EVA, making her the 11th most experienced spacewalker ever.
If she spends just four more hours outside the station next week, that will make her the most experienced female spacewalker.
The record is currently held by Peggy Whitson who spent 60 hours and 21 minutes in space across 10 different spacewalks.
This is the first time that astronauts have undertaken ‘extra-vehicular activity’ (EVA) from the ISS since November 2023.
Earlier US EVAs were put on hold after astronauts found water leaking into the airlock from the cooling system in one of the space suits.
Williams and Hague spend six hours outside the station to make repairs and perform maintenance. Pictured: the view from Williams’ helmet camera as she repairs a navigation device on a visiting spaceship
Williams also made repairs to the ‘rate gyro assembly’, a key piece of equipment which helps the ISS stay in the same orientation (pictured)
Williams (left) will be joined by Butch Wilmore (right) for another spacewalk on January 23 to make repairs and take samples to see if bacteria are growing on the outside of the ISS
NASA says the issue has now been fixed as has already announced a second EVA to take place next Thursday.
On January 23, Williams will be joined by her fellow stranded astronaut Butch Williams on a second spacewalk.
Their goal will be to remove a radio frequency group antenna assembly from the station’s truss and prepare a spare elbow joint for the Candarm2 robotic arm which is mounted on the station.
Williams and Wilmore will also use the opportunity to take surface samples from the outside of the Destiny laboratory and the Quest airlock to see if any bacteria or fungi are growing on the ISS.
Last year, NASA found 13 strains of bacteria growing on the station that were not found anywhere on Earth.
Understanding bacteria in the harsh environment of space is key to learning how life might flourish on other planets and to protecting future space colonies against new diseases.
However, while Williams and Wilmore might be enjoying the chance to step outside the station, there is still a long way to go before they can return to Earth.
EXPLAINED: THE $100 BILLION INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION SITS 250 MILES ABOVE THE EARTH
The International Space Station (ISS) is a $100 billion (£80 billion) science and engineering laboratory that orbits 250 miles (400 km) above Earth.
It has been permanently staffed by rotating crews of astronauts and cosmonauts since November 2000.
Crews have come mainly from the US and Russia, but the Japanese space agency JAXA and European space agency ESA have also sent astronauts.
The International Space Station has been continuously occupied for more than 20 years and has been expended with multiple new modules added and upgrades to systems
Research conducted aboard the ISS often requires one or more of the unusual conditions present in low Earth orbit, such as low-gravity or oxygen.
ISS studies have investigated human research, space medicine, life sciences, physical sciences, astronomy and meteorology.
The US space agency, NASA, spends about $3 billion (£2.4 billion) a year on the space station program, with the remaining funding coming from international partners, including Europe, Russia and Japan.
So far 244 individuals from 19 countries have visited the station, and among them eight private citizens who spent up to $50 million for their visit.
There is an ongoing debate about the future of the station beyond 2025, when it is thought some of the original structure will reach ‘end of life’.
Russia, a major partner in the station, plans to launch its own orbital platform around then, with Axiom Space, a private firm, planning to send its own modules for purely commercial use to the station at the same time.
NASA, ESA, JAXA and the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) are working together to build a space station in orbit around the moon, and Russia and China are working on a similar project, that would also include a base on the surface.