Blow a Cosmic Kiss

We spy from way up high an ESA astronaut dangling from the International Space Station.

Matthias Maurer performed his first spacewalk during his Cosmic Kiss mission yesterday with fellow astronaut Raja Chari of NASA. Extravehicular activity or EVA 80 lasted 6 hours and 54 minutes and was not without some excitement.

An hour into the spacewalk, the camera and light assembly on Matthias’ helmet needed some readjustments, which Raja was able to fix using some wiring. The duo were then able to carry on with the tasks, which included installing hoses on a radiator beam valve module that helps regulate Space Station system temperatures, replacing an external camera on the Station’s truss and installing a power and data cable on the Bartolomeo science platform outside ESA’s Columbus module.

Matthias’ first task involved routing an ethernet cable along the Space Station’s handrails for the camera installation. He then made his way to the Columbus module to install a data and power cable for Bartolomeo.

Bartolomeo is the first European commercial facility to be positioned outside the International Space Station. Built and operated by Airbus, it will offer a high-speed data feed and a unique view of Earth and deep space. Thanks to Matthias’ efforts yesterday, the facility is ready for full operations.

Finally, Matthias and Raja worked together to install a new camera. Overall, the duo accomplished all main tasks and headed back to the airlock after nearly seven hours outdoors. Matthias did exceptionally well on his sortie and returned to the Space Station safe and sound.

Follow Matthias on his Cosmic Kiss mission on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube the Cosmic Kiss mission page and in regular Space Station updates from ESA.