NASA's 2 Stuck Astronauts Take their 1st Spacewalk Together

In this image, made from NASA TV, US astronaut Suni Williams works outside the International Space Station during a spacewalk, Thursday, Jan. 30, 2025. (AP Photo/NASA TV)
In this image, made from NASA TV, US astronaut Suni Williams works outside the International Space Station during a spacewalk, Thursday, Jan. 30, 2025. (AP Photo/NASA TV)
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NASA's 2 Stuck Astronauts Take their 1st Spacewalk Together

In this image, made from NASA TV, US astronaut Suni Williams works outside the International Space Station during a spacewalk, Thursday, Jan. 30, 2025. (AP Photo/NASA TV)
In this image, made from NASA TV, US astronaut Suni Williams works outside the International Space Station during a spacewalk, Thursday, Jan. 30, 2025. (AP Photo/NASA TV)

NASA’s two stuck astronauts took their first spacewalk together Thursday, exiting the International Space Station almost eight months after moving in.

Commander Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore removed a broken antenna and wiped the station’s exterior for evidence of any microbes that might still be alive after launching from Earth and escaping through vents.

After some initial trouble unbolting the balky antenna, the astronauts finally pried it off nearly four hours after popping out the hatch. Mission Control urged them to watch for any floating parts from the antenna removal.

During the job 260 miles (420 kilometers) up, Williams set a new spacewalking record for female astronauts, The Associated Press reported.

The pair expected to stay just a week when they arrived at the space station last June. But their brand new ride, Boeing’s Starliner capsule, encountered so much trouble that NASA decided to return it empty.

That left the two test pilots, both retired Navy captains, in orbit until SpaceX can bring them home. That won’t happen until late March or early April, extending their mission to 10 months because of a SpaceX delay in launching their replacements.

Williams performed a spacewalk two weeks ago with another NASA astronaut. It marked Wilmore's first time outside this trip. Both racked up spacewalks during previous space station stays.

With nine spacewalks, Williams set a new record for women: the most time spent spacewalking over a career. Retired astronaut Peggy Whitson held the old record of 60 hours and 21 minutes, accumulated over 10 spacewalks.



Giant Sinkhole Unearths Forgotten Cave Mystery

Giant sinkhole swallows up part of a road in Surrey - EPA
Giant sinkhole swallows up part of a road in Surrey - EPA
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Giant Sinkhole Unearths Forgotten Cave Mystery

Giant sinkhole swallows up part of a road in Surrey - EPA
Giant sinkhole swallows up part of a road in Surrey - EPA

When a giant sinkhole swallowed up part of a road in Surrey it caused homes to be evacuated and left some residents "terrified".

But the hole in Godstone has also led many to question whether stories of a mysterious labyrinth of disused caves and quarries beneath the surface are to blame, BBC reported.

Peter Burgess, of the Wealden Cave and Mining Society, is an expert on the underground caves and crevices in and around Godstone.

He has been advising Surrey County Council on the risks posed by these long-forgotten caverns.

"The problem with the caves is they were all dug well before the days when such things had to be properly recorded," Burgess said.

"So once they were closed and abandoned, memories went and people forgot where they were – and that's why they cause a problem today.

"Because when they manifest themselves, people know they're around, but they don't know where they're going to pop up next."

"The caves in Godstone were dug for a very high-quality sand, it's called silver sand. It was dug for a variety of purposes – glassmaking, a lot of it went into horticulture and gardening, especially in the Victorian times," he said.

"Most of the underground workings closed by about 1900, and then the industry moved on to open casting, big open pits, which we can still see today."

On if caves could have caused the sinkhole, he said: "It's possible."

"We're not experts in what causes such things. That's down to the geologists and ground engineers.

"We're seen as a source of information on locations and where places might be should there be any other locations at risk. Sadly, in the village here, there's very little on record.

"Most of the sites are either unsurveyed or lost or collapsed or filled in."