Space Spacewalks

As of about 2004, 250 spacewalks -which are also said Extra-Vehicular Activity (EVA)- have been performed since the beginnings of space age. 142 were by NASA astronauts as 111 by Russians. Interestingly, moonwalks are considered spacewalks. Soviets then Russians are timing a spacewalk from the opening to the closing of the craft's hatch or airlock as NASA does from the switch to the internal power source of the astronaut's spacesuit to the repressurization of the airlock

picture courtesy NASA

First spacewalk ever was Alexei Leonov (USSR), March, 18th 1965, followed by the American equivalent on June, 3rd, 1965 (Edward H. White). Spacewalk technology remained tether-based until 1984 when a Manned Maneuvering Unit (MMU) -a personal jet pack- was used around the shuttle Challenger (mission STS-41B) on February, 7th 1984, by astronaut Bruce McCandless II. First EVA by a woman was Svetlana Savitskaya (July 1964) as first American women was Kathryn Sullivan in October 1984. Throughout NASA's history, spacecraft and launch vehicles have always been decorated with flags. When Ed White became the first American astronaut to perform a spacewalk on June 3, 1965, his spacesuit was one of the first to be adorned with a flag patch. White's crewmate Jim McDivitt also wore a flag on his suit. The astronauts purchased the flags themselves, but following their flight, NASA made the flag patch a regular feature on the spacesuits. NASA astronauts still wear them today

Since the inception of the ISS program by 1998, 156 spacewalks have been performed there in U.S. spacesuits and 51 in Russian ones (that accuracy holds to that astronauts or cosmonauts of a not U.S. nor Russian nationality may have performed a spacewalk)

Spacesuits used for a spacewalk today, are individual "mini-spacecraft". They have several built-in systems like oxygen tanks, battery, radio, a computer and a lot of other systems to allow astronauts to work in the void of space. Spacesuits are made of 9 layers of special fabric. The spacesuits are modular so they can be tailored for an astronaut's size and comfort. Suits of the time of the Apollo program had not a center joint, so astronauts could not bend forward, which made it very difficult to lean over and pick up rocks, for example. Since the Space Shuttle program, NASA redesigned the suits and made them much modular. Next spacesuits, by the horizon 2020, should include microphones and headsets integrated into the suit itself and no more bore upon a cap on the astronaut's head. Spacesuits used by crew aboard the ISS at the purpose of space activity are specifically called Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU) spacesuits. When removing their suits back in a ship, astronauts get how space smells. That smell of a medium which is almost void probably originates into atomic oxygen and some other remnant particles. They give space the aroma of seared steak, metal and weldind fumes