Oldest spacewoman sets spacewalking record

The world's oldest and most experienced spacewoman, Peggy Whitson, broke another record yesterday as she floated out of the International Space Station to set up a new parking spot.

It was the eighth spacewalk of her career, the most ever performed by a woman.

Whitson and her spacewalking partner, station commander Shane Kimbrough, ventured out to complete prep work on a docking port. Kimbrough disconnected the port during a spacewalk last Friday and then flight controllers in Houston moved it to a new location Sunday. It will serve as a parking spot for commercial crew capsules under development by SpaceX and Boeing.

The spacewalkers needed to hook up vital heater cables to the docking port and install shields to protect against strikes by micrometeorites.

"You guys be safe and enjoy your time out," French astronaut Thomas Pesquet radioed from inside the space station.

This will serve as the second of two docking ports for the future SpaceX and Boeing crew capsules. SpaceX will launch the final piece of this particular port later this year or early next year.

Midway through yesterday's spacewalk, Whitson will surpass the current record for women of 50 hours and 40 minutes of total accumulated spacewalking time, held by former space station resident Sunita Williams.