CGTN America
In this image taken from video provided by NASA, astronauts Christina Koch and Jessica Meir, top right, exit the International Space Station on Friday, Oct. 18, 2019. The world’s first female spacewalking team is making history high above Earth. This is the first time in a half-century of spacewalking that a woman floated out without a male crewmate. Their job is to fix a broken part of the station’s solar power network. (NASA via AP)
Two American women have made history in space. The world’s first all-female spacewalking team floated out of the International Space Station to do some maintenance. CGTN’s Jim Spellman says their feat prompted a long-distance call from U.S. President Donald Trump.
For the first time, an all-female astronaut team has performed a spacewalk. NASA astronauts Christina Koch and Jessica Meir replaced a faulty battery unit on the International Space Station. It’s the third spacewalk for Koch and the first for Meir.
Before wrapping up their work, the astronauts received a long-distance call from Washington, D.C. “This is President Donald Trump: Do you hear me?” said President Trump.
“I just want to congratulate you! What you do is incredible. So, you are very brave people. I don’t think I want to do it. I must tell you that. But you are amazing people,” said Trump, who spoke to the astronauts as he watched a video feed from NASA
The space-walking astronauts hope their achievements will motivate others.
“We hope that we can provide an inspiration to everybody, not only women, but to everybody that has a dream, and has a big dream and is willing to work hard to make that dream come true,” Meir told U.S. President.
NASA hopes to send a pair of astronauts back to the moon in 2024. At this point, the plan calls for a crew of one man and one woman.
Michael Wall on 1st all-women spacewalk
Michael Wall, Senior Writer with the website, Space.com, talked to CGTN’s Mike Walter about the future of space exploration as NASA celebrated the world’s first-ever all-women spacewalk.
