Oct 15, 2019 - Science
Historic, all-female spacewalk to take place this week
- Miriam Kramer, author of Axios Space
NASA astronaut Christina Koch working on the outside of the International Space Station. Photo: NASA
A history-making spacewalk featuring NASA astronauts Christina Koch and Jessica Meir is now expected to take place Thursday or Friday on the International Space Station, a few days earlier than initially expected, NASA announced Tuesday.
Why it matters: When Koch and Meir venture out for their walk in space, it will mark the first all-female spacewalk ever performed.
Details: The two women were originally expected to go for their first spacewalk next week to help upgrade batteries on the outside of the station.
- Due to a failed power unit on the station, Meir and Koch will need to work outside to fix that problem first, postponing the walk and others focused on battery replacements.
- In spite of the failed power unit, the station and its crew are safe, NASA said in a statement.
Go deeper: Space deep dive