TWO astronauts have embarked on a six-and-a-half-hour spacewalk to work on a robotic arm outside the International Space Station (ISS).
This marks the first time in 20 years that a European astronaut and Russian cosmonaut have ventured outside the ISS together, CNN reports.
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The ISS was built on global collaboration.
Responsibility and access to the orbiting science lab are shared among Europe, the United States, Russia, Canada, and Japan.
As such, it’s common for international crews to occupy the cabin’s 32,000 cubic feet at the same time – regardless of what’s going on 240miles below on the Earth’s surface.
Nasa’s Crew-4 astronauts hail from Western nations and came to meet three cosmonauts from Russia already onboard the ISS.
Some joint space operations with Russia have tensely marched ahead while the Ukraine war continues on towards six months of conflict.
Samantha Cristoforetti of the European Space Agency and Russian cosmonaut Oleg Artemyev braved the void of space to work on a 37-foot robotic arm.
Artemyev also hurled 10 one-pound nanosatellites that collected radio data during the spacewalk, according to a Nasa blog.
AP reported that an errant throw saw one satellite ricochet off the ISS, but Nasa said there is no risk of damage.
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Astronauts who observed the war in Ukraine from space said military engagements were visible.
ESA astronaut Matthias Maurer told Space.com he saw “huge clouds of smoke over cities like Mariupol,” but insists there was no hostility between the Westerners and the cosmonauts while he was on the ISS.
Nasa condemned the Kremlin and cosmonauts, including Artemyev, for sitting for a politically-charged photo while on the ISS.
The Crew-4 astronauts were brought to space by SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket and then ferried themselves to the ISS in the Dragon capsule.
It’s the first Nasa crew comprised equally of men and women, including the first Black woman making a long-term spaceflight, Jessica Watkins.
One of the studies Crew-4 astronauts will delve into is searching for ways to make cement in space for future use on a lunar or Martian colony.
