NASA astronaut Sunita Williams has made history by breaking the record for the most time spent in spacewalking ever by a woman. To date, according to this report, she has gone beyond former astronaut Peggy Whitson’s record of 60 hours and 21 minutes of total spacewalking into 62 hours and 6 minutes of her own.
According to a post from NASA on X, formerly Twitter.
NASA astronaut Suni WIlliams just surpassed former astronaut Peggy Whitson’s total spacewalking time of 60 hours and 21 minutes today. Suni is still outside in the vacuum of space removing radio communications hardware. Watch now on @NASA+… https://t.co/OD43nAlf5m pic.twitter.com/N5Mr0qQWJP
— International Space Station (@Space_Station) January 30, 2025
Record Spacewalk at the International Space Station
Williams and fellow astronaut Butch Wilmore spent 5 hours, 26 minutes outside the International Space Station (ISS) on Thursday. Their goals included removing degraded radio communications hardware and collecting samples to determine whether microorganisms exist on the exterior of the orbiting laboratory. The spacewalk began at 7:43 am Eastern Time (ET) and ended at 1:09 pm ET.
This was Williams’ ninth spacewalk and Wilmore’s fifth which made both astronauts score an important victory in the continued mission. Williams now appears in the fourth spot in the list of all-time spacewalking held by NASA.
Williams’ Triathlon in Space and Ongoing Mission
In 2012, Williams made history by being the first person to do the first triathlon in space. She demonstrated an example of determination and endurance when swimming within the confines of a weight-lifting machine, running on a treadmill, and staying strapped in by a harness so that she would not float off.
NASA astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore were supposed to spend eight days aboard Boeing’s Starliner flying to the International Space Station (ISS) in June 2024.
Technical issues plagued the spacecraft with helium leaks and thruster malfunctions, and they didn’t feel safe returning home, thus extending their stay at the ISS. NASA intends to return them to Earth by late March aboard a SpaceX spacecraft, a rival of Boeing. In the meantime, these astronauts have continued their vital work at the ISS.
