Astronauts Sunita Williams and Barry “Butch” Wilmore marked their 239th day in orbit by successfully completing a spacewalk, carrying out a task originally planned for last summer. The spacewalk, which lasted five hours and 26 minutes, saw Williams become the world’s most experienced female spacewalker, logging over 62 hours outside the lab.
Williams, along with Wilmore, retrieved a faulty S-band antenna assembly from an external storage platform. Despite previous unsuccessful attempts, the duo successfully completed the task using improvisation and muscle power. The device wasn’t designed for spacewalk retrieval, but Williams’ expertise ensured their success.
During the spacewalk, Wilmore collected swabs to help researchers determine if microbial life had survived outside the station’s vents. A third task was deferred to a future spacewalk.
Williams has now logged over 62 hours of EVA time across nine excursions, moving past retired astronaut Peggy Whitson’s mark of 60 hours and 21 minutes. She is set to return to Earth around March 31st aboard SpaceX Crew Dragon, along with Wilmore.
The astronauts are not stranded; their ride home has been docked at the station since last September. However, returning early would cause disruptions to U.S. research due to limited staffing on board.
Source: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/starliner-astronauts-mark-239th-day-in-orbit-with-successful-space-station-spacewalk