NASA
Meir during her recent spacewalk with Koch
The International Space Station (ISS) is a research lab that has been orbiting, or circling, Earth since 1998. Occasionally, parts of it need to be repaired. To do this, astronauts wear spacesuits and venture outside the ISS. These outings are called spacewalks. Last October, two NASA astronauts performed the first-ever spacewalk that included only women!
During their seven-hour spacewalk, Christina Koch and Jessica Meir fixed a battery system that helps power the ISS. Spacewalks are dangerous. It takes astronauts hours to prepare, and they have to move slowly and carefully.
The spacewalk was a milestone. Since 1965, 230 astronauts have performed spacewalks. Only 15 of them have been women.