Missions6 min
Living and working on a spacewalk
Extravehicular activity is among the most demanding tasks in human spaceflight. A look at the preparation behind every hour outside.
Sample article — placeholder editorial content for COSMOS Phase 1.
Before a spacewalk, astronauts typically pre-breathe pure oxygen to purge nitrogen from their bodies, reducing the risk of decompression sickness when moving to the lower-pressure suit.
A modern spacesuit is effectively a personal spacecraft: it provides oxygen, removes carbon dioxide, regulates temperature, and protects against micrometeoroids.
Tasks are rehearsed extensively in large neutral-buoyancy pools on Earth, which approximate the feeling of weightlessness.
