Johnson Space Center astronaut Jessica Meir will step outside the International Space Station on Tuesday, Sept. 1, for a six-and-a-half-hour spacewalk that puts her third all-time among women at NASA for career spacewalks.
It will be Meir's seventh excursion outside the station. Only Peggy Whitson (10) and Suni Williams (9) have logged more among NASA women.
Meir and European Space Agency astronaut Sophie Adenot will tackle a packed task list during U.S. Spacewalk 99, according to NASA. Their primary job: replacing a retroreflector on the forward port of the station's Harmony module, a navigational aid that helps visiting spacecraft line up during rendezvous and docking. The retroreflector replacement was on the task list for the Aug. 25 spacewalk; NASA's Aug. 26 advisory confirms it will be the primary job Sept. 1.
After the reflector swap, the pair will install jumper cables for data-relay systems, prepare the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer's radiator for future maintenance and replace a high-definition camera on the station's truss.
The excursion marks the 284th spacewalk in support of station assembly, maintenance and upgrades.
Houston's role
Every step will be guided from Mission Control at Johnson Space Center, where flight controllers monitor suit performance, relay procedures and coordinate with the crew in real time. NASA Johnson Space Center noted in a June 30 post on X that spacewalks are powered from Houston, with controllers guiding every moment from inside Mission Control.
Meir, the current station commander for Expedition 75, launched aboard NASA's SpaceX Crew-12 on Feb. 13. Born in Caribou, Maine, to Israeli and Swedish immigrants, she holds a doctorate in marine biology from Scripps Institution of Oceanography and worked at Johnson Space Center from 2000 to 2003 supporting human physiology research before being selected as an astronaut in 2013.
During her first spaceflight in 2019-2020, Meir and crewmate Christina Koch conducted the first all-female spacewalks in history, logging 21 hours and 44 minutes across three excursions.
How to watch
Live coverage begins at 6 a.m. CDT (7 a.m. EDT) on NASA+, YouTube and Amazon Prime. The spacewalk itself is expected to start around 7:30 a.m. CDT. Adenot will wear a suit with red stripes; Meir will wear an unmarked suit.
Upcoming
- Tuesday, Sept. 1: U.S. Spacewalk 99 live coverage, 6 a.m. CDT on NASA+, YouTube and Amazon Prime
- Tuesday, Sept. 8: Harris County public hearing and vote on proposed tax rate
