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By NASA
4 Min Read Spacewalk Research and Technology
NASA astronaut Anne McClain prepares spacesuits ahead of the May 2025 spacewalk. Credits: NASA Science in Space: May
Crew members on the International Space Station periodically conduct spacewalks to perform a variety of tasks such as installing, upgrading, and repairing equipment. During a spacewalk on May 1, astronauts installed hardware to support the planned addition of a seventh roll-out solar array on the exterior of the space station. Each of these arrays produces more than 20 kilowatts of electricity and together they will increased power production by up to 30%, enabling more scientific operations on the orbiting lab.
NASA astronaut Butch Wilmore collects samples from the exterior of the space station for ISS External Microorganisms.NASA Some spacewalks include operations for scientific research. On January 20, 2025, crew members collected samples for ISS External Microorganisms, an investigation examining whether microorganisms have exited through station vents and can survive in space. Results could help determine changes needed in design of spacecraft (including spacesuits) to prevent human-associated microbes from contaminating Mars and other exploration destinations.
Radiation monitoring
CSA astronaut Dave Williams on a spacewalk in 2007. CSA studied the radiation dose crew members experience while outside the station.NASA The CSA (Canadian Space Agency) investigation EVA Radiation Monitoring, used a miniature, power-efficient wireless radiation measurement system or dosimeter worn by crew members during spacewalks. This type of device could help identify parts of the body that are exposed to the highest radiation levels during spacewalks. Results showed that this type of device is a feasible way to monitor individual dose during spacewalks. The device also has potential uses on Earth, such as monitoring radiation exposure during cancer treatments.
Spacesuit technology
Spacesuits are essentially one-person spacecraft that protect their wearers from the hazards of space, including radiation and extreme temperatures. Space station research is helping improve the suits and tools for spacewalks and activities outside spacecraft and for the exploration of the Moon and Mars.
SpaceSkin on ExHAM, a JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) investigation, evaluated the durability of a fabric with imbedded sensors to detect damage. Sensors integrated into the exposed outermost layer of a spacesuit could detect damage such as impacts from micrometeoroids. Researchers documented factors to consider in design of textiles with sensing capabilities as well as the ability to withstand the hazards of space. Such fabrics could be integrated into spacesuits and habitats to help protect astronauts on spacewalks and future exploration missions.
NASA astronaut Patrick G. Forrester works with the MISSE facility.NASA Researchers use the Materials International Space Station Experiment or MISSE facility on the exterior of the space station for experiments exposing various materials and components to the harsh environment of space. Along with solar cells, electronics, and coatings, MISSE-7 tested pristine fibers from Apollo mission spacesuits and others scratched by lunar dust to examine the combined effects of abrasion and radiation damage. Researchers report that the fabrics significantly degraded, suggesting the need for ways to prevent or mitigate radiation damage to spacesuits on extended missions to the Moon.
MISSE-9 tested spacesuit materials treated with shear-thickening fluids. These suspensions of tiny particles in a fluid react to stress by quickly changing from a liquid to a solid. The research showed that the materials maintained their mechanical performance characteristics and puncture resistance after extended exposure.
Keeping cool also is important on a spacewalk, where temperatures can reach 250 degrees. SERFE, or Spacesuit Evaporation Rejection Flight Experiment, tested a technology using water evaporation to remove heat from a spacesuit so crew members and equipment remain at appropriate temperatures during spacewalks. A current cooling method, called sublimation, exposes small amounts of water to space, causing it to freeze and then turn into vapor that disperses, removing heat as it does so. The SERFE technology may be less susceptible to water contamination than sublimation.
Exiting station
The Nanoracks Bishop Airlock is attached to the Canadarm2 robotic arm as the International Space Station orbits 264 miles above the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Brazil. Ocean off the coast of southern Brazil at the time of this photograph.NASA Crew members use specialized airlocks to exit the station for spacewalks. Airlocks also make it possible to deploy satellites and other external equipment. The Nanoracks Bishop Airlock was the first commercially owned and operated airlock installed on the space station. Its size, design, and automation enable faster and more efficient movement of materials out of and into the station, reducing the crew and robotics time needed. In addition to facilitating spacewalks, this facility could support increased commercial use of the space station and expand research capabilities.
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By NASA
The Axiom Mission 4, or Ax-4, crew will launch aboard a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft to the International Space Station from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. From left to right: ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski of Poland, former NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson, ISRO (Indian Space Research Organization) astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla, and Tibor Kapu of Hungary.Credit: Axiom Space NASA will join a media teleconference hosted by Axiom Space at 10:30 a.m. EDT, Tuesday, May 20, to discuss the launch of Axiom Mission 4 (Ax-4), the fourth private astronaut mission to the International Space Station.
Briefing participants include:
Dana Weigel, manager, International Space Station Program, NASA Allen Flynt, chief of mission services, Axiom Space Sarah Walker, director, Dragon mission management, SpaceX Sergio Palumberi, mission manager, ESA (European Space Agency) Aleksandra Bukała, project manager, head of strategy and international cooperation, POLSA (Polish Space Agency) Orsolya Ferencz, ministerial commissioner of space research, HUNOR (Hungarian to Orbit) To join the call, media must register with Axiom Space by 12 p.m., Monday, May 19, at:
https://bit.ly/437SAAh
The Ax-4 launch aboard a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft on the company’s Falcon 9 rocket is targeted no earlier than 9:11 a.m., Sunday, June 8, from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
During the mission aboard the space station, a four-person multi-national crew will complete about 60 research experiments developed for microgravity in collaboration with organizations across the globe.
Peggy Whitson, former NASA astronaut and director of human spaceflight at Axiom Space, will command the commercial mission, while ISRO astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla will serve as pilot. The two mission specialists are ESA project astronaut Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski of Poland and Tibor Kapu of Hungary.
The first private astronaut mission to the station, Axiom Mission 1, lifted off in April 2022 for a 17-day mission aboard the orbiting laboratory. The second private astronaut mission to the station, Axiom Mission 2, also was commanded by Whitson and launched in May 2023 for eight days in orbit. The most recent private astronaut mission, Axiom Mission 3, launched in January 2024; the crew spent 18 days docked to the space station.
The International Space Station is a springboard for developing a low Earth economy. NASA’s goal is to achieve a strong economy off the Earth where the agency can purchase services as one of many customers to meet its science and research objectives in microgravity. NASA’s commercial strategy for low Earth orbit provides the government with reliable and safe services at a lower cost, enabling the agency to focus on Artemis missions to the Moon in preparation for Mars while also continuing to use low Earth orbit as a training and proving ground for those deep space missions.
Learn more about NASA’s commercial space strategy at:
https://www.nasa.gov/commercial-space
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Claire O’Shea
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1100
claire.a.o’shea@nasa.gov
Anna Schneider
Johnson Space Center, Houston
281-483-5111
anna.c.schneider@nasa.gov
Alexis DeJarnette
Axiom Space, Houston
alexis@axiomspace.com
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Last Updated May 14, 2025 LocationNASA Headquarters Related Terms
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By NASA
NASA astronaut and Expedition 72 flight engineer Anne McClain is pictured near one of the International Space Station’s main solar arrays during a spacewalk.NASA/Nichole Ayers In this May 1, 2025, photo taken by fellow NASA astronaut Nichole Ayers, Anne McClain works near one of the International Space Station’s main solar arrays during a spacewalk. During the May 1 spacewalk – McClain’s third and Ayers’ first – the astronaut pair relocated a space station communications antenna and completed the initial mounting bracket installation steps for an International Space Station Rollout Solar Array, or IROSA, that will arrive on a future SpaceX commercial resupply services mission, in addition to some get ahead tasks.
Learn more about station activities by following the space station blog.
Image credit: NASA/Nichole Ayers
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By NASA
NASA astronaut and Expedition 73 Flight Engineer Jonny KimCredit: Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center Students from Santa Monica, California, will connect with NASA astronaut Jonny Kim as he answers prerecorded science, technology, engineering, and mathematics-related questions aboard the International Space Station.
Watch the 20-minute space-to-Earth call at 12:10 p.m. EDT on Tuesday, April 29, on the NASA STEM YouTube Channel.
Media interested in covering the event must RSVP by 5 p.m., Friday, April 25, to Esmi Careaga at: ecareaga@smmusd.org or 805-651-3204 x71582.
The event is hosted by Santa Monica High School, Kim’s alma mater, and includes students from Roosevelt Elementary School and Lincoln Middle School in Santa Monica. The schools hope to inspire students to follow their dreams and explore their passions through curiosity, service, and interest in learning.
For more than 24 years, astronauts have continuously lived and worked aboard the space station, testing technologies, performing science, and developing skills needed to explore farther from Earth. Astronauts aboard the orbiting laboratory communicate with NASA’s Mission Control Center in Houston 24 hours a day through SCaN’s (Space Communications and Navigation) Near Space Network.
Important research and technology investigations taking place aboard the space station benefit people on Earth and lays the groundwork for other agency missions. As part of NASA’s Artemis campaign, the agency will send astronauts to the Moon to prepare for future human exploration of Mars, inspiring Artemis Generation explorers and ensuring the United States continues to lead in space exploration and discovery.
See videos highlighting space station research at:
https://www.nasa.gov/stemonstation
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Gerelle Dodson
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1600
gerelle.q.dodson@nasa.gov
Sandra Jones
Johnson Space Center, Houston
281-483-5111
sandra.p.jones@nasa.gov
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Last Updated Apr 23, 2025 LocationNASA Headquarters Related Terms
NASA Headquarters Humans in Space International Space Station (ISS) Johnson Space Center View the full article
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By NASA
NASA astronaut and Expedition 72 Flight Engineer Don Pettit sets up camera hardware to photograph research activities inside the International Space Station’s Kibo laboratory module on March 15, 2025.Credit: NASA Media are invited to a news conference at 2 p.m. EDT Monday, April 28, at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston where astronaut Don Pettit will share details of his recent mission aboard the International Space Station.
The news conference will stream live on NASA’s website. Learn how to stream NASA content through a variety of platforms.
To participate in person, U.S. media must contact the NASA Johnson newsroom no later than 5 p.m. Thursday, April 24, at 281-483-5111 or jsccommu@mail.nasa.gov. Media wishing to participate by phone must contact the newsroom no later than two hours before the start of the event. To ask questions by phone, media must dial into the news conference no later than 10 minutes prior to the start of the call. NASA’s media accreditation policy is available online.
Questions also may be submitted on social media during the news conference by using #AskNASA. Following the news conference, NASA will host a live question and answer session with Pettit on the agency’s Instagram. For more information, visit @NASA on social media.
Pettit returned to Earth on April 19 (April 20, Kazakhstan time), along with Roscosmos cosmonauts Alexey Ovchinin and Ivan Vagner. Pettit celebrated his 70th birthday on April 20. He spent 220 days in space as an Expedition 71/72 flight engineer, bringing his career total to 590 days in space during four spaceflights. Pettit and his crewmates completed 3,520 orbits of Earth over the course of their 93-million-mile journey. They also saw the arrival of six visiting spacecraft and the departure of seven.
During his time on orbit, Pettit conducted hundreds of hours of scientific investigations, including research to enhance on-orbit metal 3D printing capabilities, advance water sanitization technologies, explore plant growth under varying water conditions, and investigate fire behavior in microgravity, all contributing to future space missions.
He also spent time aboard the space station sharing his photography, often posting images to his X account. He took more than 670,000 photos during his stay.
Learn more about International Space Station research and operations at:
http://www.nasa.gov/station
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Joshua Finch / Claire O’Shea
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1100
joshua.a.finch@nasa.gov / claire.a.o’shea@nasa.gov
Chelsey Ballarte
Johnson Space Center, Houston
281-483-5111
chelsey.n.ballarte@nasa.gov
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Last Updated Apr 23, 2025 LocationNASA Headquarters Related Terms
International Space Station (ISS) Astronauts Humans in Space ISS Research Johnson Space Center View the full article
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