This archive report was first published on 18 October 2019.
On October 18, 2019, NASA made history with its first spacewalk performed by two women, Christina Koch and Jessica Meir. The mission, which began at 1138 GMT, aimed to replace a faulty power controller.
According to NASA TV, the spacewalk was a result of a rescheduled mission that was initially set for March but had to be canceled due to a lack of suitable space suits.
"Christina, you may egress the airlock," spacecraft communicator Stephanie Wilson instructed the pair as they began their mission.
The spacewalk was a significant milestone for NASA, which has traditionally been a male-dominated organization. The mission's success was seen as a step towards greater diversity and inclusion in the space agency.
Koch and Meir's spacewalk was a crucial maintenance task, as they replaced a faulty battery charge/discharge unit (BCDU) on the International Space Station. The BCDUs regulate the amount of charge that goes into the station's batteries, which are essential for the station's operation.
