Astronaut Kutryk describes Earth as overwhelming after first spacewalk

Explainer

Canadian Space Agency astronaut Joshua Kutryk said he was overwhelmed with emotion after completing his first spacewalk on Thursday. Kutryk and NASA astronaut Anil Menon spent seven hours and 11 minutes outside the International Space Station to install new solar panels. The astronaut said the experience of seeing Earth from space changed him and left him feeling very small. He described the view as very confusing and a sensory overload. Kutryk is the fifth Canadian to perform a spacewalk and the first since David Saint-Jacques in 2019.

What did the astronauts accomplish during the spacewalk?

Kutryk and Menon successfully installed seven of eight new solar panel systems on the station’s portside truss structure. The pair placed their suits on battery power at 7:57 a.m. EDT and returned to the station at 3:08 p.m. NASA mission control in Houston described the spacewalk as essentially flawless. The work is part of an upgrade to the station’s power capacity, as the original panels have lost efficiency over nearly 30 years. According to the Canadian Space Agency, the new panels, paired with previously installed arrays, will increase the station’s power generation capacity by up to 30 percent.

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How did Kutryk describe the experience of seeing Earth from space?

Speaking to media while floating inside the station on Friday, Kutryk said his mind did not know what to do with the image of Earth from the outside. He said he tried to focus really hard on not looking up at the high Earth during the work. The view made him feel very small and almost insignificant, he said. Kutryk added that he was stunned by the beauty and fragility of the planet. He said the experience made him want to make every decision going forward to try to be a better person. “I do think that we come back to Earth with a changed perspective,” Kutryk said.

What role did Canada play in the mission?

Canadian technology and personnel provided crucial support for the spacewalk. Menon rode the Canadarm2 robotic arm to perform the maintenance work. A Canadian Space Agency robotics team in Longueuil, Que., monitored activities in real time. Canadian astronaut Jenni Gibbons, serving as the capsule communicator, gave the astronauts step-by-step instructions from NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. The agency described her as the voice bridging two worlds. Mathieu Caron, director of the agency’s astronauts, life sciences, and space medicine directorate, said the job could not have been done without Canada’s decades-long contribution to space exploration.

What happens next for Kutryk and the crew?

Kutryk and Menon are scheduled to conduct a second spacewalk on Nov. 5 to install the eighth and final solar panel. Kutryk said that while he tried to focus on the task at hand during the first outing, he will make sure to take in the view during the next one. The astronaut, who is from Fort Saskatchewan, Alta., said he could see his home province from space and has posted several photos of Canada on social media. Nosy Mag reported in October that Kutryk’s mission involves installing new solar arrays to boost the station’s power capacity. Fellow crew members Luke Delaney and Jessica Watkins assisted the spacewalkers with their equipment after they returned to the station.

At a news conference at the space agency’s headquarters in Longueuil, former astronaut David Saint-Jacques said Kutryk is a real role model for Canadian youth. Saint-Jacques, who last performed a spacewalk in 2019, said the feat is one of the most exciting and dangerous things astronauts do. He advised Kutryk to give himself the chance to look around and let it all sink in. Eleanor Olszewski, the minister responsible for Prairies Economic Development Canada, said she felt tremendous pride as an Albertan seeing Kutryk make history. Saint-Jacques added that the crew’s mission is crucial for maintaining the nearly 30-year-old station, which is fully electric.

With files from The Canadian Press, CBC News and The Globe and Mail