• Science

Watch the NASA Space Station Spacewalk Live

2 minute read

Think you’d like to walk in space? Don’t be so sure. Yes, the view is great; yes, the weightlessness is fun. But the work is punishing. You’re either too hot or too cold—which is what happens when the temperature goes from 200º F to -200º F (93º C to -129º C) depending on whether you’re in shadow or sun. Then there are the aching hands that come from trying to operate tools while wearing pressurized gloves with all the flexibility of a catcher’s mitt; the fogged visor that can occur when you break a sweat—and make no mistake, you will sweat—and the fact that you cannot scratch your nose or mop your brow for the entire eight or nine hours that you’re inside your suit. And have we mentioned the diaper?

So kudos to commander Barry Wilmore and flight engineer Terry Virts who on March 1 will step outside the International Space Station for their third spacewalk in just over a week to run cable and otherwise prepare the orbiting outpost for the arrival of new commercial crew vehicles in 2017. NASA is streaming the walk live and once you start watching the slo-mo, high-def ballet, it can be hard to stop. Flying in space is much harder than it seems. Watching the men and women who make the trips, however, can be nothing but joy.

PHOTOS: 20 Breathtaking Images of Earth From Space

Aleppo, Syria
Aleppo, Syria, May 26, 2013 – The Citadel of Aleppo – medieval fortified palaceDigitalGlobe—Getty Images
Belfast, Northern Ireland
Belfast, Northern Ireland, Nov. 3, 2013 – “Wish,” a large-scale art workDigitalGlobe—Getty Images
Colorado River
Utah, USA, April 22, 2013 – Colorado RiverDigitalGlobe—Getty Images
Cuanza River, Angola
Cuanza River, Angola, April 28, 2013 – Cambambe DamDigitalGlobe—Getty Images
Doha, Qatar
Doha, Qatar, March 4, 2013 – Artificial island spanning nearly four million sq meters.DigitalGlobe—Getty Images
Dunalley, Australia
Dunalley, Australia, Jan. 6, 2013 – fires, false color image (red = healthy vegetation)DigitalGlobe—Getty Images
Great Barrier Reef
Australia, April 22, 2013 – Great Barrier ReefDigitalGlobe—Getty Images
Gwadar coast, Pakistan
Gwadar coast, Pakistan Sept. 29, 2013 – new island created by earthquake in PakistanDigitalGlobe—Getty Images
Croatia
Croatia, Feb. 16, 2013 – Galešnjak (Island of Love)DigitalGlobe—Getty Images
Hong Kong, China
Hong Kong, China May 9, 2013 – giant rubber duckDigitalGlobe—Getty Images
Manam Volcano
Madang Province, Papua New Guinea, March 22, 2013 – Manam VolcanoDigitalGlobe—Getty Images
Namib Desert, Namibia
Namib Desert, Namibia, May 13, 2013 – Sossusvlie areaDigitalGlobe—Getty Images
Mount Vesuvius
Naples, Italy, Feb. 19 2013 – Mount VesuviusDigitalGlobe—Getty Images
Niger
Niger, Feb. 13, 2013 – Arlit Uranium MineDigitalGlobe—Getty Images
Schooner Cays, Bahamas
Schooner Cays, Bahamas, May 26, 2013DigitalGlobe—Getty Images
Sochi, Russia
Sochi, Russia, March 17, 2013 – Site of 2014 winter OlympicsDigitalGlobe—Getty Images
Near the city of Sur, Oman
Near the city of Sur, Oman, Feb. 13, 2013 – massive “green tide”DigitalGlobe—Getty Images
Valencia, Spain
Valencia, Spain, July 19, 2013 – Palau de les Arts Reina Sofia and Gulliver Park with an enormous fiberglass model of Lemuel Gulliver trappedDigitalGlobe—Getty Images
Versailles, France
Versailles, France, Aug. 20, 2013 – Palace of VersaillesDigitalGlobe—Getty Images
Xi'an, China
Xi'an, China, Sept. 24, 2013 – Shiyuan Park DigitalGlobe—Getty Images

More Must-Reads from TIME

Contact us at letters@time.com