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Sunita Williams Breaks Spacewalking Record During Ninth ISS Mission

The astronaut of Indian origin, stranded on the ISS since June 2024, captured a viral selfie while surpassing the record for total spacewalking time by a female astronaut.

  • Sunita Williams completed her ninth spacewalk on January 30, 2025, alongside fellow astronaut Butch Wilmore, as the ISS orbited 423 km above the Pacific Ocean.
  • With 62 hours and 6 minutes of total spacewalking time, Williams surpassed Peggy Whitson's record, becoming the female astronaut with the most time spent on spacewalks and ranking fourth on NASA's all-time list.
  • During the spacewalk, Williams and Wilmore removed hardware from the ISS exterior and collected surface material samples near life support system vents for scientific analysis.
  • A selfie taken by Williams during the spacewalk, showing her reflection in her helmet visor with Earth and the Pacific Ocean in the background, went viral after being shared by NASA on Instagram.
  • Williams and Wilmore have been stranded on the ISS since June 2024 due to a propulsion leak in their Boeing Starliner spacecraft, which was initially intended for an eight-day mission.
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