50 years of stunning spacewalks
"Walking" in space doesn't look anything like walking anywhere else. So, when astronauts use the term "spacewalk," they're referring to any activity done outside a spacecraft, beyond the Earth's atmosphere. It can also be referred to as Extravehicular Activity.
It can refer to activity outside a spacecraft orbiting the Earth (like the International Space Station) or lunar surface exploration (a.k.a walking on the moon). Whatever form these spacewalks take, however, the pictures are almost always amazing.
Here, mission specialist Piers J. Sellers participates in a 7-hour, 11-minute "walk," demonstrating orbiter heat shield repair techniques, while aboard the Space Shuttle Discovery, July 13, 2006.
A spacewalk to remember
June 3, 2015 marks the 50th anniversary of the first U.S. spacewalk.
This first American spacewalk lasted 23 minutes and was conducted by NASA Astronaut Ed White. Here, White floats outside the Gemini 4 capsule in space, on June 3, 1965.
White -- an American aeronautical engineer, officer in the U.S. Air Force, and test pilot, in addition to being a NASA astronaut -- died two years later, during the prelaunch testing for the first manned Apollo mission. He was 36.
A spacewalk to remember
NASA Astronaut Ed White made history on June 3, 1965, when he floated out of the hatch of his Gemini 4 capsule into the void of space.
This first American spacewalk lasted 23 minutes; but White wished it could've been longer, later commenting that the order to end it was the "saddest moment" of his life.
White was attached to the capsule by a 25-foot umbilical cord. And while he initially used a gas-powered handheld gun to maneuver, it ran out of fuel three minutes in, after which White moved around by twisting his body and pulling on the cord.
A spacewalk to remember
Here, lunar module pilot Edwin E. Aldrin Jr. (known to most as "Buzz" Aldrin), walks on the surface of the moon, during the Apollo 11 extravehicular activity.
Apollo 11's mission commander Neil Armstrong -- who snapped this photograph of his fellow astronaut with a 70mm lunar surface camera -- became the first human to ever set foot on the moon, just seconds before.
He did so on July 20, 1969, before the eyes of hundreds of millions of awed television viewers worldwide solidifying both his place in history and his status as an American hero forever.
A spacewalk to remember
Then, in November of that same year, an Apollo/Saturn V space vehicle launched the Apollo 12 astronauts -- Charles "Pete" Conrad, Jr., Richard F. Gordon, and Alan L. Bean -- on the United States' second manned lunar landing mission.
Here, one of the astronauts of that Apollo 12 space mission conducts experiments on the moon's surface with a camera, November 19, 1969.
A spacewalk to remember
One of the astronauts of the Apollo 12 space mission stands next to a U.S. flag, fixed to the Saturn V lunar module on the Moon.
A spacewalk to remember
Astronaut Edgar D. Mitchell of Apollo 14 moves across the lunar surface, while looking over a traverse map during a spacewalk, February 6, 1971.
A spacewalk to remember
U.S. astronaut Edgar D. Mitchell of the Apollo 14 mission uses a trolley for the transportation of equipment on the lunar surface, February 5, 1971.
Apollo 14 lasted nine days and was America's third manned lunar mission. It was launched on January 31, 1971 and landed on the moon on February 5, 1971.
A spacewalk to remember
Here, in a moment much before its time, U.S. astronaut Alan Shepard snaps a selfie of himself and fellow astronaut Edgar Mitchell spacewalking on the moon, February 5, 1971.
It's a shame Twitter and Instagram weren't around back then. His numbers would've been out of this world.
A spacewalk to remember
Here, Apollo 14 commander Alan B. Shepard Jr. plays golf on the moon with a javelin and a golf ball he smuggled in during the mission's second extravehicular activity, February 6, 1971...
A stylish spacewalking moment, on par with his lunar selfie the day before.
A spacewalk to remember
Here, astronaut and geologist Harrison H. Schmitt sits in the Lunar Roving Vehicle (LRV) at Station 9 (Van Serg Crater) during the third Apollo 17 spacewalk at the Taurus-Littrow landing site, December 13, 1972.
The Apollo 17 lunar mission was the sixth and final lunar landing mission of the Apollo program.
Lunar Module Pilot Harrison Schmitt was the first scientist-astronaut to land on the Moon. The scientific objectives of the Apollo 17 mission included geological surveying, and the sampling of materials and surface features in the moon's Taurus-Littrow region.
A spacewalk to remember
Here, Space Shuttle Challenger astronaut Story Musgrave suspends himself between the sides of the Challenger's cargo bay, while testing a winch system, April 7, 1983...
A maintenance sort of spacewalk.
A spacewalk to remember
Here, Space Shuttle Challenger astronaut Donald Peterson floats in space above the cargo bay of Challenger, during his April 7, 1983 spacewalk.
A spacewalk to remember
Astronaut Jeff Hoffman uses a power wrench to loosen bolts on an access door to the Hubble Space Telescope, December 5, 1993.
This was the first of five planned spacewalks scheduled to repair the spacecraft.
Hoffman and crewmate Steve Musgrave would successfully install new gyroscopes and electronics in the telescope, during those "walks."
A spacewalk to remember
Astronaut Tamara Jernigan, backdropped against the Earth, May 30, 1999.
Jernigan's feet are anchored to a mobile foot restraint, connected to Discovery's remote manipulator system.
Jernigan and her fellow astronaut Daniel T. Barry would go on to spend over seven hours on this spacewalk, carrying out maintenance and construction on the new International Space Station.
A spacewalk to remember
Astronaut James H. Newman works in the Space Shuttle Columbia's cargo bay, March 5, 2002.
Astronaut Newman and the rest of his crew were in space to upgrade components of the Hubble Space Telescope. In fact, part of the giant telescope's base, latched down in the payload bay, can be seen here behind Newman.
A spacewalk to remember
Astronaut John M. Grunsfeld, gives a thumbs up to one of his crewmates inside the cabin of the Space Shuttle Columbia, while spacewalking outside the vehicle, March 4, 2002.
Grunsfeld had just raised his helmet visor's sun shield, participating in the first assigned spacewalk to replace the Hubble Space Telescope's starboard solar array.
This spacewalk lasted a grueling seven hours.
A spacewalk to remember
Here, astronaut John B. Herrington climbs over the P-1 Truss on November 28, 2002.
Astronauts Michael Lopez-Alegria and John Herrington performed this spacewalk to install the P-1 Truss on the International Space Station. The Space Shuttle Endeavor mission STS-113 brought both the P-1 Truss Structure and a new crew to the Space Station.
A spacewalk to remember
STS-114 mission specialist Stephen K. Robinson participates in the mission's third spacewalk, while anchored to a foot restraint on the International Space Stations Canadarm2, August 13, 2005.
A spacewalk to remember
Here, Japanese astronaut Soichi Noguchi waves at a crewmate, during extravehicular activity which he shared with U.S. astronaut Stephen K. Robinson, August 1, 2005.
Earth's horizon, approximately 225 statute miles below, is visible in the frame's corner.
Robinson would spacewalk two days later to remove a couple of loose gap fillers from the belly of the shuttle.
A spacewalk to remember
STS-116 mission specialist Robert L. Curbeam, Jr. prepares to replace a faulty TV camera on the exterior of the International Space Station, during the mission's first of three planned spacewalks, December 12, 2006.
A spacewalk to remember
Here, STS-118 mission specialist Rick Mastracchio participates in the mission's third planned spacewalk to conduct construction and maintenance on the International Space Station, August 15, 2007.
During the 5-hour, 28-minute space walk, Mastracchio and fellow astronaut Clay Anderson relocated the S-Band Antenna Sub-Assembly from the Port 6 (P6) to the Port 1 (P1) truss, installed a new transponder on P1 and retrieved the P6 transponder.
All in a day's work.
A spacewalk to remember
This second angle shows astronaut Rick Mastracchio attaching the Starboard 5 (S5) segment of the International Space Station's truss, retracting the forward heat-rejecting radiator from the station's Port 6 (P6) truss, and performing several get-ahead tasks, as part of his space walk.
A spacewalk to remember
Here, astronaut Rick Linnehan is seen through the window of the Space Shuttle Endeavor's aft flight deck, taking a walk on the space side, if you will.
The March 18, 2008 spacewalk took 6 hours and 53 minutes, during which Linnehan and fellow astronaut Robert L. Behnken installed a Special Purpose Dextrous Manipulator.
A spacewalk to remember
NASA Astronaut Richard Arnold participates in the STS-119 mission's first scheduled spacewalk, as construction and maintenance efforts continue on the International Space Station, March 19, 2009.
During the six-hour, seven-minute spacewalk, Arnold and fellow astronaut Steve Swanson, connected bolts to permanently attach the S6 truss segment to S5. They also plugged in power and data connectors to the truss, prepared a radiator to cool it, opened boxes containing the new solar arrays and deployed the Beta Gimbal Assemblies containing masts that will support those solar arrays.
Here, the blackness of space and Earth's horizon provide an awe-inspiring backdrop for the scene.
A spacewalk to remember
NASA Astronauts Andrew Feustel (L) and John Grunsfeld (R), both STS-125 mission specialists, participate in the mission's third session of extravehicular activity, as work continues to refurbish and upgrade the Hubble Space Telescope, May 16, 2009.
A spacewalk to remember
Here, NASA Astronaut Tim Kopra conducts the first of a series of five ISS-related spacewalks, near Endeavour's cargo bay, July 18, 2009.
A spacewalk to remember
Here, the helmet visor of astronaut Christopher Cassidy is seen during his second spacewalk, July 24 2009.
Seen mirrored in the visor is astronaut Tom Marshburn, with whom Cassidy would team up with again on July 27th for the STS-127 crew's fifth and final session of extravehicular activity.
Eleven astronauts and cosmonauts remained inside the International Space Station and the shuttle to which it was docked, while the two suited astronauts continued work on the orbital outpost.
A spacewalk to remember
Flight engineer Nicole Stott of the space shuttle Discovery works during a six-and-a-half hour spacewalk, performed overnight from August 31, 2009 to September 1, 2009.
Stott and mission specialist John "Danny" Olivas removed an empty ammonia tank from the station's truss and replaced it with a new module during a follow-up spacewalk later in the week.
A spacewalk to remember
NASA STS-132 mission specialist Steve Bowen participates in the trip's first spacewalk, as construction and maintenance efforts continue on the International Space Station, May 17, 2010.
During this seven-hour, 25-minute walk, Reisman and NASA astronaut Steve Bowen loosened bolts holding six replacement batteries, installed a second antenna for high-speed Ku-band transmissions and added a spare parts platform to Dextre, a two-armed extension for the station's robotic arm.
This was the final scheduled mission for Atlantis, which docked with the International Space Station to deliver a new Russian compartment and fresh batteries.
A spacewalk to remember
Anchored to a Canadarm2 mobile foot restraint, NASA astronaut Garrett Reisman participates in the STS-132 mission's first session of extravehicular activity, May 17, 2010.
A spacewalk to remember
Here, NASA astronaut Garrett Reisman participates in an especially stunning spacewalk, May 17, 2010, as part of NASA's STS-132 mission.
A spacewalk to remember
NASA astronauts Steve Bowen (foreground) and Alvin Drew, both STS-133 mission specialists, participate in the mission's first spacewalk to conduct maintenance on the International Space Station, February 28, 2011.
During the six-hour, 34-minute spacewalk, Bowen and Drew installed the J612 power extension cable, moved a failed ammonia pump module to the External Stowage Platform 2 on the Quest Airlock for return to Earth at a later date, installed a camera wedge on the right hand truss segment, installed extensions to the mobile transporter rail and exposed the Japanese "Message in a Bottle" experiment to space.
On this, its 39th and final flight, Discovery carried the Italian-built Permanent Multipurpose Module, Express Logistics Carrier 4 and the first humanoid robot in space to the International Space Station.
A spacewalk to remember
NASA astronauts Steve Bowen (pictured here in the foreground) and Alvin Drew, both STS-133 mission specialists, participate in the mission's first spacewalk to conduct maintenance on the International Space Station, February 28, 2011.
A spacewalk to remember
Here, Expedition 28 flight engineer Mike Fossum does repairs on the International Space Station, during a planned six-and-a-half-hour spacewalk, July 12, 2011.
Space shuttle Atlantis embarked on a 12-day mission to the International Space Station, where it's assignment was to deliver the Raffaello multi-purpose logistics module, packed with supplies and spare parts.
This expedition marked the final launch of the space shuttle program, which began on April 12, 1981 with the Colombia.
A spacewalk to remember
NASA astronaut Ronald Garan works in the International Space Station's Quest airlock, prior to a planned six-and-a-half-hour spacewalk, July 12, 2011.
A spacewalk to remember
NASA astronaut Mike Fossum takes a selfie through his helmet visor with the International Space Station in the background, during a planned six-and-a-half-hour spacewalk, on July 12, 2011.
His was the 160th spacewalk devoted to station assembly and maintenance, since construction of the ISS began in 1998.
A spacewalk to remember
In a weightless world where there is no up or down, ESA astronaut Alexander Gerst and NASA astronaut Reid Wiseman worked together to upgrade the power relay on a trolley at the International Space Station... while moving.
Gerst, seen here, held on to the trolley with flexed arms, so as to absorb the shocks.
After working with Wiseman to attach a pump, Gerst took the arm for a last ride to park it and prepare it for its next use, berthing visiting spacecraft. Here, with both hands finally free, he had time to take a few photographs, like this one, before returning to the airlock.
A spacewalk to remember
ESA astronaut Alexander Gerst spent six hours and 13 minutes outside the International Space Station with NASA astronaut Reid Wiseman on October 7, 2014. This was the first spacewalk for both astronauts, who reportedly performed well in the weightlessness of orbit.
The pair worked together to move a 385 kg pump from the Station's truss to a permanent stowage location near the U.S. Destiny module.
Gerst strapped himself to the Station's robotic arm and held on to the unit, while NASA astronaut Butch Wilmore operated a 16 m-long Canadarm from inside the orbital outpost. Here, tethers secure Gerst to the arm, as he floats alongside the commercial Dragon supply vessel.
A spacewalk to remember
Expedition 42 Flight Engineer Terry Virts and Commander Barry "Butch" Wilmore work outside the International Space Station on their third spacewalk, March 1, 2015.
The astronauts installed 400 feet of cable and several antennae for the Common Communications for Visiting Vehicles. Boeing's Crew Transportation System and the SpaceX Crew Dragon will use the system to rendezvous with the station in the coming years, when delivering new crews.
