Space expert reveals dangers Nasa’s stranded astronauts can expect on rare spacewalk – after seven months stuck in orbit
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Nasa’s two ‘stranded’ astronauts will get a trip outside this week, having spent over seven months in orbit unexpectedly. They will leave the International Space Station for a surprise spacewalk together on Thursday, which will be Butch Wilmore’s first time outdoors since his ride home malfunctioned last June.
His partner Sunita Williams, now commander of the station having only intended to stay eight days, will be doing her second spacewalk in the space of around a week. They will carry out repairs and collect samples to see if microorganisms exist on the exterior of the station.
![[FILE - NASA astronauts Suni Williams, left, and Butch Wilmore stand together for a photo enroute to the launch pad at Space Launch Complex 41 Wednesday, June 5, 2024, in Cape Canaveral, Fla., for their liftoff on the Boeing Starliner capsule to the international space station. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara, File)]](https://metro.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/SEI_232061927-eae2.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=646)
Butch and Suni are seen by some as space castaways, but they’re super-skilled professionals and will be taking on the mission every astronaut dreams of before their return trip is finally due this spring. But what does a spacewalk actually involve, and how risky is it?.
![[In this image, made from NASA TV, US astronaut Suni Williams works outside the International Space Station during a spacewalk Thursday, Jan. 16, 2025. ( AP Photo/NASA TV)]](https://metro.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/SEI_236181098-c94b.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=646)
Dr Kirsty Lindsay, assistant professor of Aerospace Medicine at Northumbria University and an expert in astronaut health, told Metro that spacewalks are like the ‘heaviest gym session’ you could have on earth. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video.
Up Next. It’s not a case of floating around admiring the view: You will be wearing a heavy, bulletproof, pressurised suit, while doing tricky manouevres and breathing canned air, for six to eight hours without food and with only limited water. As well as the physical challenges, the mental impact can be profound – especially after being inside for months.
