NASA astronaut Barry Wilmore operating outside the International Space Station (ISS) on the first of three spacewalks preparing the station for future arrivals by US commercial crew spacecraft, in space, 21 Feb. 21, 2015.NASA/EPA
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, May 26, 2013 – The Citadel of Aleppo – medieval fortified palaceDigitalGlobe—Getty ImagesBelfast, Northern Ireland, Nov. 3, 2013 – “Wish,” a large-scale art workDigitalGlobe—Getty ImagesUtah, USA, April 22, 2013 – Colorado RiverDigitalGlobe—Getty ImagesCuanza River, Angola, April 28, 2013 – Cambambe DamDigitalGlobe—Getty ImagesDoha, Qatar, March 4, 2013 – Artificial island spanning nearly four million sq meters.DigitalGlobe—Getty ImagesDunalley, Australia, Jan. 6, 2013 – fires, false color image (red = healthy vegetation)DigitalGlobe—Getty ImagesAustralia, April 22, 2013 – Great Barrier ReefDigitalGlobe—Getty ImagesGwadar coast, Pakistan Sept. 29, 2013 – new island created by earthquake in PakistanDigitalGlobe—Getty ImagesCroatia, Feb. 16, 2013 – Galešnjak (Island of Love)DigitalGlobe—Getty ImagesHong Kong, China May 9, 2013 – giant rubber duckDigitalGlobe—Getty ImagesMadang Province, Papua New Guinea, March 22, 2013 – Manam VolcanoDigitalGlobe—Getty ImagesNamib Desert, Namibia, May 13, 2013 – Sossusvlie areaDigitalGlobe—Getty ImagesNaples, Italy, Feb. 19 2013 – Mount VesuviusDigitalGlobe—Getty ImagesNiger, Feb. 13, 2013 – Arlit Uranium MineDigitalGlobe—Getty ImagesSchooner Cays, Bahamas, May 26, 2013DigitalGlobe—Getty ImagesSochi, Russia, March 17, 2013 – Site of 2014 winter OlympicsDigitalGlobe—Getty ImagesNear the city of Sur, Oman, Feb. 13, 2013 – massive “green tide”DigitalGlobe—Getty ImagesValencia, Spain, July 19, 2013 – Palau de les Arts Reina Sofia and Gulliver Park with an enormous fiberglass model of Lemuel Gulliver trappedDigitalGlobe—Getty ImagesVersailles, France, Aug. 20, 2013 – Palace of VersaillesDigitalGlobe—Getty ImagesXi'an, China, Sept. 24, 2013 – Shiyuan Park DigitalGlobe—Getty Images
