NASA, ESA Astronauts Set 6.5-Hour ISS Spacewalk for 284th Station EVA

Q: Jessica Meir just completed her seventh spacewalk, but what will it take for her to shatter the all-time female record?

Jessica Meir will need at least four more spacewalks to set the all-time female record, and three more just to tie it. Tuesday’s EVA was Meir’s seventh, which moved her into third place among NASA women behind Suni Williams with nine and Peggy Whitson with 10. That means Meir must complete two more spacewalks to pass Williams, three more to equal Whitson, and a fourth beyond that to move alone into first place with 11. Whether she can do it soon depends less on rank than on opportunity. Spacewalk totals rise only when an astronaut is assigned to missions with significant outside maintenance work, and Meir is currently on her second long-duration stay aboard the International Space Station as commander of SpaceX Crew-12. If NASA schedules multiple additional EVAs during this expedition or on a future mission, she could close the gap quickly. The broader context is that Whitson’s mark is formidable not just in count but in longevity. Whitson built her total across multiple NASA missions and later commercial flights, and remains the female leader in cumulative EVA experience as well. Meir, however, is still actively flying and remains one of NASA’s most experienced current spacewalkers. So the path is straightforward: continued flight assignments and at least four additional successful EVAs. That would give Meir 11 and the outright female record.

3 articles · Updated · NASA · Aug 31

Sophie Adenot and Jessica Meir are scheduled to begin a spacewalk at 8:30 a.m. EDT Tuesday, with live coverage starting at 7 a.m. on NASA+.
The roughly 6.5-hour EVA will replace a spacecraft navigational aid, prepare a cosmic particle detector for future upgrades, and install jumper cables to strengthen data-relay systems.
Quest airlock preparations wrapped up Monday as the pair readied suits and tools, while NASA flight engineers Anil Menon and Jack Hathaway reviewed support procedures.
Menon will operate Canadarm2 to position Meir at worksites on the station's starboard truss, while Adenot moves independently on tethers and Hathaway monitors safety.
The outing will be Meir's seventh spacewalk, Adenot's third, and the fourth station EVA in a month—marking the ISS's 284th spacewalk since 1998.