NASA Astronauts Make Rare Christmas Eve Spacewalk

  • Share
  • Read Later

Update, 2 p.m. ET: The astronauts have finished their repairs, reports NBC News.

U.S. astronauts Rick Mastracchio and Michael Hopkins are making a rare Christmas Eve spacewalk to fix vital cooling systems on the International Space Station.

Both astronauts are spending 6.5 hours floating in space—which NASA TV is streaming live from 7:10 a.m. EST—for their second spacewalk in four days.

It is the second time in NASA history–and the first time in 14 years–astronauts have conducted a Christmas Eve spacewalk.

One of the space station’s two external cooling lines shutdown on Dec.11, reports the AP. Mastracchio and Hopkins removed a faulty ammonia pump on Saturday, which they will be attempting to replace on Tuesday says Space.com.

[AP]

[Space.com]