NASA's stranded astronaut leaves the ISS for first time in months... but there's a catch
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One of NASA's stranded astronauts has finally left the International Space Station (ISS) after being stuck inside for eight months - but she's not headed home. Sunita Williams had a much-needed change of scenery Thursday during her first spacewalk since arriving on the ISS on June 6.
Williams, the station's commander, had to tackle some overdue outdoor repair work alongside NASA's Nick Hague. 'I'm coming out,' Williams radioed at around 6.30am ET. The pair emerged as the orbiting lab sailed 260 miles above Turkmenistan in Central Asia. The spacewalk is expected to take six and a half hours, concluding at around 1pm ET.
Williams and her crewmate Butch Wilmore were left stranded on the ISS after a malfunctioned Boeing capsule was deemed unsafe to bring them home. They were only supposed to be on the ISS for eight days but have faced numerous delays. The duo are set to return in late March or possibly April.
Thursday's spacewalk was the first by NASA astronauts since November 2023. But this was the eighth career spacewalk for Williams as this is her second stay on the ISS. On January 23, Williams will conduct another spacewalk with Wilmore, marking the first time he will emerge from the station since the start of their doomed space mission.
Sunita Williams has been stranded on the ISS since June but on Thursday, she was able to leave for a few hours. Williams ventured outside of the ISS on Thursday, January 16, for the first time since her mission began last June. NASA's current plan is to have Williams, Wilmore, Hague and Russian Cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov fly back to Earth after the SpaceX Crew-10 mission reaches the ISS.