What does spacewalking mean?
Spacewalking is the activity of leaving a spacecraft and working outside it while protected by a pressurized spacesuit. The term is formally associated with extravehicular activity, or EVA, and can include tasks such as repairing equipment, inspecting a station, or moving objects in space. Spacewalking is especially associated with missions in Earth orbit, although the expression can also describe comparable activity in fiction and simulated training environments. The word is commonly used to refer either to the activity in general or to a particular walk outside a spacecraft. For an individual event, spacewalk is often the more natural expression. Spacewalking evokes both the technical discipline of preparation and the exceptional, isolated environment experienced by astronauts. Historical images and accounts of early spacewalks have made it an enduring symbol of exploration, courage, and the boundary between human technological achievement and the extreme conditions of outer space.
nounSpacewalking is the activity of moving or working outside a spacecraft while wearing a pressurized spacesuit. It is formally known as extravehicular activity.
- The activity of moving or working outside a spacecraft while wearing a pressurized spacesuit.
"The astronauts practiced spacewalking beneath the pool to prepare for their mission."
"Spacewalking requires strength, coordination, and careful control of the spacesuit."
"The documentary uses archival footage to explore the history and difficulty of spacewalking."
The plural is possible but uncommon; spacewalks is often more natural when referring to separate excursions.
"The documentary revisits several historic spacewalkings."
In 1965, Alexei Leonov became the first person to spacewalk, turning science fiction into a photograph of human history.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does spacewalking come from?
Spacewalking is an English compound formed from space, walk, and the present-participle suffix -ing. Space entered English through Old French from Latin spatium, while walk derives from Old English wealcan. The compound spacewalk developed during the era of human spaceflight, and spacewalking subsequently came to denote the activity more generally.
Related word forms
How spacewalking is actually used
Spacewalking is a specialized, generally neutral term used in spaceflight, science, and media. For an individual outing, spacewalk is often more idiomatic, while spacewalking commonly names the activity as a whole.