Woman astronaut completes record 8th spacewalk, with a tiny hiccup

Astronaut Peggy Whitson completed her record-breaking eighth spacewalk Thursday despite a minor setback when a piece of thermal shielding being installed outside the International Space Station slipped away and drifted into space.

Mission Commander Shane Kimbrough and Whitson, the flight engineer, conducted a variety of maintenance tasks over several hours. Whitson, an Iowa native on her third mission to the station, broke records for most spacewalks by a woman with eight, and most hours spent spacewalking with more than 50.

The hiccup involved one of four fabric shields being placed to protect a relocated docking port from meteorite debris. Cameras tracked the shielding as it drifted into the distance, and Mission Control in Houston said there was no danger the lost shield could hit and damage the space station.

A Mission Control team also devised a plan for the astronauts to finish covering the port with material Whitson removed earlier in the day. The plan worked and the cover was successfully installed.

“You guys came up with a fantastic plan — on short notice. That’s amazing,” Whitson radioed.

The relocated docking port will serve as one of two parking spots for crew capsules under development by SpaceX and Boeing. The lost shield weighs about 18 pounds and unfolded measures about 5 feet by 2 feet and about 2 inches thick. It eventually will re-enter the atmosphere and burn up, NASA said.

Whitson, 57, served a six-month stint aboard the station in 2002, and returned for another six months as station commander in 2008. She joined Expedition 50/51 in November.

Thursday's spacewalk was the 199th in support of assembly and maintenance of the space station, launched in 1998, NASA said.

Contributing: Associated Press