After being stranded in space for eight months, NASA astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore conducted their first joint spacewalk outside the International Space Station (ISS) on Thursday. The duo ventured out to carry out maintenance work and inspect the station’s exterior for any surviving Earth microbes.
As they exited the station, orbiting 420 kilometers above Earth, Wilmore remarked, “Here we go,” in a moment captured on NASA’s livestream on X.
Their extended stay aboard the ISS was the result of technical issues with Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft, which brought them to the station in June 2024 for what was initially planned as an eight-day mission. However, complications forced NASA to alter the return plan, with rival aerospace company SpaceX stepping in to handle their repatriation.
NASA announced on Wednesday that it was collaborating with Elon Musk’s SpaceX to bring the astronauts back "as soon as practical." The statement came a day after former U.S. President Donald Trump suggested that SpaceX would soon undertake a mission to bring them home.
The delay in their return was further extended due to SpaceX preparing a new spacecraft, pushing the timeline beyond the initially scheduled February window. Meanwhile, NASA is also finalizing plans for the launch of Crew-10, which will facilitate a handover between ISS expeditions.
LIVE: @NASA_Astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore are taking a spacewalk to maintain @Space_Station hardware and collect samples. Today's spacewalk is scheduled to start at 8am ET (1300 UTC) and go for about 6.5 hours. https://t.co/6pvzcwPdgs
— NASA (@NASA) January 30, 2025
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Dubai, Feb 23 (PTI): Virat Kohli said his plan was to attack the pacers and take less risk against the spinners in the high-pressure Champions Trophy clash against Pakistan here on Sunday and having steered the team home with a sparkling hundred, his 36-year-old body is happy to get a week-long break before the next game.
India's six-wicket win against arch-rivals has almost sealed a semifinal spot for the side and all but knocked the hosts out of the tournament.
Kohli got majority of his runs from running the quick singles and doubles as he collected only seven fours in his 100 not out off 111 balls.
"At 36, a week off is very good. It takes a lot out of me to put in that much effort," said the superstar referring to the last group A clash against New Zealand on March 2.
He completed his 51st ODI hundred with a four off the last ball of the match. Heading into the high-stakes game, Kohli had his fair share of struggles against the spinners.
"It feels good to bat in that manner in an important game, where a spot for semis was there to be taken, after Rohit (Sharma) fell (20 off 15 balls). My job was clear - to control the middle overs, not take risks against spinners and take on pacers.
"I was happy with the template, it's how I play in ODIs," said Kohli at the post-match presentation after scoring his fourth hundred against Pakistan.
Kohli also got to a special milestone in the run chase as he became only the second Indian and third overall to amass 14000 ODI runs after compatriot Sachin Tendulkar (18,246 runs) and Sri Lanka's Kumar Sangakkara (14,234 runs).
When asked about his approach in the innings, Kohli said: "I have a decent understanding of my game. It's about keeping the outside noise away, take care of my energy levels and thoughts.
"It's easy for me to get pulled into expectations and frenzy around games like these (India-Pakistan). I kept telling myself I'll give my 100 per cent while fielding. It's why I take pride in it. When you put your head down and go about your work, things work out."
He also credited Rohit, Shubman Gill (46) and Shreyas Iyer (56) for taking on the pacers on a tricky pitch.
"Clarity is important, when there is pace on the ball, you have to get scoring. Shubman and Shreyas have been excellent. Everyone's got a decent knock in these conditions, that'll augur well in the coming matches," he said.