NASA Astronauts Complete the First All-Female Spacewalk

Karen Zraick and Jacey Fortin

October 18, 2019 11:47 PM

NASA reached a milestone on Friday when two Americans ventured out of the International Space Station to replace a power controller: The astronauts, Jessica Meir and Christina Koch, had undertaken the first all-female spacewalk.

NASA Astronauts Complete the First All-Female Spacewalk

The walk lasted seven hours and 17 minutes, and included a brief call with President Donald Trump.

Such a walk was supposed to take place in March, but it was postponed because NASA did not have two appropriately sized spacesuits available. That sparked an outcry — and a “Saturday Night Live” spoof — about the legacy of sexism in the space program.

On Friday, live video of the event, which began just before 8 a.m. Eastern, showed two bulky white figures — first Koch, then Meir — working outside of the space station, which glowed against the blackness of space.

The women could be heard talking to each other, and helmet cameras showed the view as they clambered along the outside of the space station.

At one point, Meir could be seen crossing beneath the dangling feet of Koch. “Right beneath your feet, so don’t move down,” she said.

Trump called into the space station to congratulate the crew on their achievement around 12:30 p.m. Eastern, describing the two as “brave, brilliant women.”

“Our country is very proud of you,” he said.

The president was joined by Vice President Mike Pence, NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine and Ivanka Trump, Trump’s daughter. He said in his remarks that it was “the first time for a woman outside of the space station,” an inaccuracy that Meir gently corrected. She is the 15th woman to do a spacewalk. But until Friday, all of those astronauts had been paired with male colleagues.

“This is really just us doing our jobs,” Meir said, adding that credit was owed to the female explorers, scientists, engineers and astronauts who came before her.

The call lasted about five minutes.

Meir and Koch had planned to install lithium-ion batteries on Oct. 21, but the timeline was hastened after a power controller failed last weekend.

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