- Sophie Adenot began her second spacewalk outside the International Space Station (ISS) on Tuesday, a week after her first historic spacewalk.
- Adenot and Anil Menon conducted a spacewalk to complete repairs on a critical communications antenna on the ISS.
- The repairs are important for maintaining reliable communications between the astronauts aboard the station and teams on Earth.
- Adenot became the first French woman to perform an EVA on August 18, 400 kilometres above Earth.
- As part of her first mission to the ISS, the 44-year-old French astronaut spent the weekend preparing for her second spacewalk.
- The video showed her trying on her spacesuit and checking equipment alongside crewmate, American astronaut, Anil Menon.
- The pair are part of a team of four taking part in a nine-month-long mission.
French astronaut Sophie Adenot and NASA's Anil Menon embarked on their second spacewalk on Tuesday, focusing on the installation of a replacement Space-to-Ground antenna at the International Space Station (ISS). This mission is crucial for maintaining reliable communications between the ISS and teams on Earth.126
The spacewalk, which began at approximately 8:35 a.m. EDT and lasted about six and a half hours, involved the removal of a failed antenna and the installation of a new one. The antenna serves as a vital link for high-speed data transmission between NASA’s Mission Control Center in Houston and the ISS.
Adenot, who made history as the first French woman to perform an EVA on August 18, expressed her excitement about working in space, stating, “You could probably hear it in my voice over the radio, but I A-D-O-R-E-D working in the vacuum of space. It is a true adventure within an adventure.” Menon, serving as crew member 1, and Adenot, crew member 2, are part of a four-member team on a nine-month mission aboard the ISS.4
This spacewalk marks Menon’s third and Adenot’s second, contributing to the 283rd spacewalk in support of space station assembly, maintenance, and upgrades. Adenot, a former test pilot and engineer, became the second Frenchwoman in history to fly into space in February, following Claudie Haigneré.
After the spacewalk, Adenot expressed her gratitude, saying, “Yeah, what a day. My deepest gratitude goes to everyone who made this possible, pioneers who came before us, but also the incredible teams working behind the scenes today.”
“Adenot, the first French woman to perform an EVA, completed her historic first spacewalk on August 18, 400 kilometers above Earth. The pair are part of a four-person team on a nine-month mission, and the antenna replacement is vital for maintaining communications with ground teams.”
NASA (.gov)
