Jessica Meir, Sophie Adenot make history with all-female spacewalk

NASA astronaut Jessica Meir and European Space Agency astronaut Sophie Adenot made history with the sixth all-female spacewalk, stepping outside the International Space Station on September 1, 2026. The 6-hour-and-49-minute mission involved replacing a spacecraft docking aid and an HD camera, along with carrying out maintenance and scientific tasks. Their historic achievement is also the story of two astronauts who reached space through remarkably different career paths.Jessica Meir: From studying penguins to walking in spaceJessica Meir is an American astronaut and scientist whose career began in biology and marine science. According to NASA's official astronaut biography, Meir earned a bachelor's degree in Biology from Brown University, a master's degree in Space Studies from the International Space University, and a doctorate in Marine Biology from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California, San Diego.Her scientific work focused on how animals survive in extreme environments.