Sat Feb 01 02:57:19 IST 2025: ## NASA Astronaut Sunita Williams Shatters Women’s Spacewalk Record

**Houston, TX** – NASA astronaut Sunita Williams made history on Thursday, January 30th, surpassing the record for the most cumulative spacewalk time by a woman. During a five-and-a-half-hour spacewalk with colleague Butch Wilmore, Williams accumulated a total of 62 hours and 6 minutes of extravehicular activity (EVA), exceeding the previous record held by Peggy Whitson (60 hours and 21 minutes).

While Whitson still holds the record for the most spacewalks conducted by a woman (10), Williams’ achievement marks a significant milestone for female representation in space exploration. This was Williams’ ninth spacewalk.

The spacewalk involved the removal of a broken antenna from the International Space Station (ISS) and a search for potential microbes on the station’s exterior. The removal of the antenna proved challenging, taking nearly four hours. Wilmore completed his fifth spacewalk, bringing his total EVA time to 31 hours and 2 minutes.

Williams and Wilmore’s extended stay on the ISS, originally planned for a week, has stretched to nearly ten months due to delays with the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft tasked with returning them to Earth. This extended mission has also put Williams on track to surpass NASA astronaut Jeff Williams in total cumulative time spent in space, placing her second only to Peggy Whitson for US astronaut experience. Her return is expected in late March or early April.

Despite the unexpected length of their mission, both Williams and Wilmore have reported enjoying their time aboard the ISS. Williams previously described space as “her happy place,” emphasizing the peaceful perspective it offers. The two astronauts dismissed media reports describing their situation as being “stranded” or “stuck.” Their mission highlights both the challenges and the remarkable achievements possible in space exploration.

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