Sunita Williams Embarks on Another Spacewalk Amid Starliner Delay
US space agency NASA announced that its astronauts Butch Wilmore and Sunita Williams, NASA, carried out their second spacewalk for maintenance and scientific research, in an announcement Thursday. This was the ninth career spacewalk for Williams and the fifth for Wilmore, with the mission expected to last six and half hours.
This will involve the extrication of a radio frequency group antenna assembly from the space station truss, collecting surface material samples from the Destiny laboratory and Quest airlock for analyzing potential microorganisms on the exterior of the orbital complex, as well as preparing a spare elbow joint for the Canadarm2 robotic arm, and swabbing external sites to collect microbial samples.
Williams, crew member 1, is wearing a suit with red stripes, while Wilmore, crew member 2, is in an unmarked suit. This is Williams' second spacewalk in 12 years, following an earlier one this month with Nick Hague.
Both astronauts have been stranded in space since June last year after becoming the first crew to ride Boeing's Starliner, which faced technical issues. While NASA has yet to confirm a return date, former US President Donald Trump has urged Elon Musk's SpaceX to bring them back. In response, NASA stated it is 'working expeditiously' to ensure their safe return as soon as practical.
