This archive report was first published on 19 October 2019.
On October 18, 2019, NASA achieved a historic milestone with the first all-female spacewalk outside the International Space Station. Astronauts Christina Koch and Jessica Meir, part of NASA's Expedition 61 Flight, embarked on the spacewalk at 12:38 BST, approximately 10 minutes ahead of schedule.
The spacewalk aimed to replace a faulty power controller, known as a battery charge-discharge unit (BCDU), which regulates the charge to the batteries that collect and distribute solar power to the orbiting lab's systems. The unit had failed to activate following the October 11 installation of new lithium-ion batteries on the space station's exterior structure.
Ms. Koch, crew member 1 (EV 1), wore a suit with red stripes and a helmet camera carrying the number 18, while Ms. Meir, crew member 2 (EV 2), wore a suit with no stripes and carried helmet camera number 11. The astronauts were assisted by Commander Luca Parmitano of the European Space Agency and NASA's Andrew Morgan during the spacewalk.
This was the 221st spacewalk performed outside the International Space Station, but the first with an all-female crew. While Ms. Koch had performed three previous spacewalks, this was her first time being accompanied by a female astronaut. The spacewalk marked a significant step forward in the representation of women in space exploration.
