Photographer captures ESA astronaut performing spacewalk outside ISS from Earth; see pic

European Space Agency’s (ESA) astronaut Matthias Maurer and NASA astronaut Raja Chari performed a spacewalk on March 23 to install equipment outside the International Space Station (ISS). The recently concluded spacewalk was the second for the duo within ten days and became extra special for an exciting reason. While Maurer was busy with his spacewalk, an astrophotographer captured the astronaut floating outside the ISS approximately 400 kilometres above the Earth. 

The photograph was released by Sebastian Voltmer, who has the same hometown as Maurer in Germany. In his precious picture, Voltmer marked out Maurer and the robotic arm of the ISS he was working next to. "Yesterday I witnessed the #spacewalk shortly after sunset. Here comes a first photo. #ESA #astronaut Matthias Maurer was just "climbing" at this moment. The rod-shaped structure (Canadarm2) is the robot arm. Greetings from Matthias Maurers hometown - it was very exciting (sic)", the photographer wrote. 

Astronaut duo conduct two spacewalks within 10 days

Both Chari and Maurer conducted two spacewalks-- the first on March 15 and the second on March 23. The first was to upgrade the solar arrays aboard the ISS and install brackets and struts to support the future installation of an ISS Roll-Out Solar Array (iROSA). These arrays will augment six of the station’s eight power channels, increasing the station’s total available power from 160 kilowatts to up to 215 kilowatts. NASA says that two of six iROSAs have been deployed on the station so far and four additional arrays are yet to be delivered.

On the other hand, the second was to install a thermal system and electronics components on the outside of the space station. The astronauts also replaced an external camera on the station’s truss along with making other upgrades to station hardware. Each of the spacewalks lasted six-and-a-half hours wherein the astronauts worked without any break.

(Image: @Space_Station/Twitter)