Sophie Adenot becomes first French woman to walk in space as unfinished ISS antenna job requires second spacewalk

Sophie Adenot’s first spacewalk was supposed to be about replacing an antenna. Instead, the 18 August outing left the French astronaut with two milestones to carry back inside the International Space Station: becoming the first French woman to walk in space, and an unfinished repair that will require another trip outside. Adenot and Nasa astronaut Anil Menon spent much of the six-and-a-half-hour operation working through the practical difficulties of replacing the station’s space-to-ground antenna. The job involved removing and handling equipment, working around electrical cables and preparing the connections needed for the replacement unit. Time ran out before the antenna could be installed and brought online. Nasa has now scheduled Adenot and Menon to return outside on 25 August, when they will resume the work using the station’s Canadarm2 robotic arm.