ISS flight engineer Sunita Williams is a veteran spacewalker

Sep 7, 2012 13:50 GMT  ·  By
Sunita Williams waves at the camera during an Expedition 32 spacewalk, on September 5, 2012
   Sunita Williams waves at the camera during an Expedition 32 spacewalk, on September 5, 2012

Waving at the camera in the image above is NASA astronaut Sunita Williams, imaged during a 6-hour, 28-minute spacewalk she and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Aki Hoshide conducted on Wednesday, September 5.

Hoshide is visibly reflected in Williams' helmet visor. Both astronauts are flight engineers of the Expedition 32 crew aboard the International Space Station. They performed two spacewalks within a single week, in order to perform repairs and upgrades outside the station.

I think that this image is awesome because it exemplifies why being an astronaut is amazing.

Though the occasional power relay unit may be stuck, and you may find yourself fixing it with a toothbrush (true story!), by and large, flying hundreds of miles above the planet at thousands of miles per hour, while tethered to a football field-sized spacecraft, can prove to be quite an experience.