NASA astronauts Christina Koch and Jessica Meir on October 18, 2019 conducted the first all-female spacewalk outside of the International Space Station (ISS).
The spacewalk officially began at 7:38 a.m. and lasted for seven hours and 17 minutes, ending at 2:55 p.m.
The astronauts replaced a battery charge/discharge unit that failed to activate after new lithium-ion batteries were installed on the space station’s exterior structure on Oct. 11.
Although it was the 221st spacewalk performed in support of space station assembly, it was the first to be conducted entirely by women.
This was the fourth spacewalk for Christina Koch and the first for Meir. Based on their position on the platform, the astronauts were able to see the Earth pass beneath their feet.
It was not the first spacewalk by a woman. The first woman to conduct a spacewalk was Russian cosmonaut Svetlana Savitskaya in 1984, followed closely by NASA astronaut Kathy Sullivan.
An additional 12 US women have conducted 40 spacewalks over the past 35 years. Koch and Meir were the 13th and 14th, respectively.
Importance
According to the NASA, “the first all-woman spacewalk is a milestone worth noting and celebrating as the agency looks forward to putting the first woman and next man on the Moon by 2024 with NASA’s Artemis lunar exploration program.”
NASA said that it’s achievements provide inspiration to students around the world, proving that hard work can lead you to great heights, and all students should be able to see themselves in those achievements.”
