Spacewalker’s view

ESA astronaut Thomas Pesquet completed his first spacewalk 13 January 2017 together with NASA astronaut Shane Kimbrough to complete a battery upgrade to the outpost’s power system.

Thomas recorded the spacewalk for the first time with a camera in a space-proof casing that was mounted to a bracket on his chest called the mini work station. This video shows scenes from the spacewalk using this camera.

The spacewalk went as planned and, even better, Shane and Thomas performed a number of extra tasks once they had installed the batteries. They retrieved a failed camera, installed a protective cover on an unused docking port, moved handrails in preparation for future spacewalks and took pictures of external facilities for ground control.

The duo spent five hours and 58 minutes outside the International Space Station.

Thomas is spending six months on the International Space Station as part of his Proxima mission. During Proxima, Thomas will perform around 50 scientific experiments for ESA and France’s space agency CNES as well as take part in many research activities for the other Station partners. The mission is part of ESA’s vision to use Earth-orbiting spacecraft as a place to live and work for the benefit of European society while using the experience to prepare for future voyages of exploration further into the Solar System.