Stepping Into the Void: Early Spacewalks Captured on Camera

Floating free above Earth, this astronaut demonstrates one of the greatest leaps in human exploration: the spacewalk. The photo shows an early extravehicular activity (EVA), complete with a chest-mounted camera to document the mission. Spacewalks pushed astronauts and engineers to the limit, requiring new suits, life support systems, and tools that could function in the vacuum of space. Each mission tested the boundaries of what humans could do beyond the spacecraft, paving the way for construction of space stations, repairs of satellites, and today’s ongoing work on the International Space Station. More than just a technical feat, this image reminds us of the awe and fragility of stepping into the void, tethered only to our fragile spacecraft.