Imagine floating hundreds of miles above Earth, tasked with installing cutting-edge technology and tossing outdated equipment into the void of space. Sounds like a sci-fi movie, right? But this is exactly what two Russian cosmonauts did during a recent spacewalk outside the International Space Station (ISS). Expedition 73 commander Sergey Ryzhikov and flight engineer Alexey Zubritsky, both from Russia’s Roscosmos, completed a 6-hour, 9-minute extravehicular activity (EVA) that was as routine as it was remarkable. And here’s where it gets fascinating: their mission wasn’t just about maintenance—it was about pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in space.
The duo’s first task was to install the Ekran-M experiment, a drum-shaped unit designed to produce ultra-thin semiconductor materials. But here’s the part most people miss: these materials are so delicate that they can only be reliably created in the microgravity environment of space. Ryzhikov, perched at the end of the European Robotic Arm (ERA), carefully positioned the experiment outside the Nauka multipurpose laboratory module. Meanwhile, Zubritsky connected power cables and mounted a swappable cassette, ensuring the experiment was ready for action. This isn’t just a cool science project—it could revolutionize how we manufacture semiconductors on Earth.
With their primary task complete, the cosmonauts moved on to a more dramatic assignment: jettisoning an old high-definition television camera. This is where it gets controversial: while some might see this as wasteful, the camera, originally part of a Canadian commercial payload, had outlived its usefulness. Zubritsky, once again at the end of the ERA, tossed the 180-pound device overboard, sending it on a one-way trip to Earth’s atmosphere, where it would burn up upon reentry. “Jettison is complete,” Zubritsky radioed, as the camera disappeared into Earth’s shadow. But is this the most sustainable way to handle space debris? We’ll let you decide in the comments.
Before wrapping up, Ryzhikov and Zubritsky cleaned a window on the Zvezda service module and retrieved an exposed material samples experiment. This spacewalk marked the 276th in support of the ISS since 1998, with Zubritsky logging his first EVA and Ryzhikov adding to his total of 12 hours and 57 minutes in space. And this is the part that’s easy to overlook: every spacewalk, no matter how routine, is a testament to human ingenuity and our relentless pursuit of knowledge.
As we marvel at these achievements, it’s worth asking: What’s next for space exploration? Will experiments like Ekran-M pave the way for new technologies, or are we just scratching the surface? Share your thoughts below and join the conversation on our Space Forums. After all, the final frontier is vast—and we’re all explorers together.
