On This Day: October 11, 1984 — Kathryn Sullivan Becomes the First American Woman to Walk in Space
On October 11, 1984, astronaut Kathryn D. Sullivan became the first American woman to walk in space, spending 3 hours and 29 minutes outside Space Shuttle Challenger with fellow astronaut David Leestma during mission STS-41-G. The pair tested the Orbital Refueling System, a prototype designed to let future satellites get refueled on-orbit instead of being…