Astronaut Thomas Pesquet Ventures On His First Successful Spacewalk Like A Veteran, Releases Selfie Photos

French astronaut Thomas Pesquet had his first spacewalk last Friday. He spent almost 6 hours outside the International Space Station (ISS) and performed it like a veteran.

Thomas Pesquet took photos outside including self-portraits. He was joined by NASA astronaut and ISS commander Shane Kimbrough on the spacewalk. Their aim was to install the new lithium-ion batteries and accompanying adapter plates. These are essential for a major power upgrade that began in December 2016. They completed the installation in half of the allotted time, according to CBS News.

The requisite space selfie! Nice reflection of Earth in the helmet. Unbelievable feeling to be your own space vehicle… #Proxima pic.twitter.com/p4Ket5HZiI

— Thomas Pesquet (@Thom_astro) January 13, 2017

#Iran #News French astronaut Thomas Pesquet takes first footsteps in space+Video https://t.co/cpvJEXhfd8 pic.twitter.com/3pw0w1R1pC — P.M.O.I (@Mojahedineng) January 14, 2017

Phys.org reports that in performing the spacewalk, everything must be secured or tied down or it will float away. This includes the astronauts themselves. The astronauts must install a restraint for their feet to remain in contact with the space station. Thomas Pesquet commented on one of his photos that he was holding on carefully to the International Space Station, in which he grew attached to it.

Both the astronauts carried cameras during their spacewalks. They needed to take a photo of the parts of the space station for ground controllers. The photos could be used for future reference and plan on upcoming extravehicular activities or EVAs.

Meanwhile, Thomas Pesquet snapped his first-ever spacewalk selfie. His camera is strapped to the hand of his Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU) or spacesuit. In one of his photos, he pointed that camera down at his feet and to 250 miles below. Then, he tweeted, "This is what a spacewalk is: 400 km of void under your feet."  

This is what a spacewalk is: 400km of void under your feet https://t.co/n8DlOvgi6L #Proxima pic.twitter.com/aV4UugPwCr — Thomas Pesquet (@Thom_astro) January 14, 2017