Walking over to the balcony... in space

When US astronaut Sunita Williams radioed down to Nasa earlier this week, 'I'm coming out,' it could have sounded like she was stepping out for a walk in the park. Or it may have sounded like the usual chit-chat between colleagues - 'Hey, wait, let's go out for a coffee'. But this wasn't either of that. It was Williams' first outing outside the 'tin can' since arriving at the International Space Station more than seven months ago. She and Butch Wilmore were initially meant to be there for just a week aboard Boeing's shiny new Starliner capsule. But, then, well, things didn't go exactly as planned. So, the duo is still floating up there. A spacewalk was as much of an outing she could get now.

One can only imagine how Williams must have felt, swapping the ISS for a bit of overdue outdoor repair work, all while soaring 420 km above Turkmenistan. She hasn't exactly described the feeling yet. But we suppose it would be similar to how all of us felt when we finally ventured out of our homes after the Covid lockdown. Except with a bit more space junk, and zero chance of bumping into neighbours and their small talk. Plus, let's face it, floating weightlessly while fixing things must feel slightly more accomplished than spending an entire day troubleshooting your Wi-Fi. For Williams, of course, it could have been just stepping out to the balcony.