IT’S 3 JUNE, 1965, and astronaut Ed White, in orbit over Hawaii, emerges from a space capsule, becoming the first American to conduct an extravehicular activity, or EVA. Connected with a single tether, he manoeuvres using an oxygen gun for propulsion, and poses for pictures. ‘I feel like a million dollars,’ White says.
These days, EVAs are not done for the photos. They’re required for maintenance and operation of the International Space Station and are planned to the minute. Astronauts seldom have time for a selfie or joyriding with jet guns.
Statistically, doing an EVA is just as dangerous as launching and re-entry,’ says Garrett Reisman, professor and former NASA astronaut with a seven-plus-hour spacewalk on his résumé. EVAs are difficult, dangerous, and time-consuming, so it makes sense that engineers…