GoPro footage of ESA astronaut Thomas Pesquet working outside the International Space Station during a spacewalk on 24 March 2017.

Thomas is seen performing his spacewalk tasks. Firstly he inspected the Station’s cooling system for leaks. He took photos and recorded video images as he patted and prodded the cooling pipes to see if any coolant leaked out. No leak was found, but ground control can now analyse the images in detail.

Thomas’ second task was to maintain the multipurpose robotic hand Dextre – he had the laborious job of applying lubricant. The footage concludes when he has set up a foot restraint and is preparing to start work on Dextre - backdropped by a spectactular view of our planet.

For this spacewalk, Thomas and NASA astronaut Shane Kimbrough spent six hours and 34 minutes outside the Station.

Thomas is spending six months on the International Space Station as part of his Proxima mission. During Proxima, Thomas will perform around 50 scientific experiments for ESA and France’s space agency CNES as well as take part in many research activities for the other Station partners.

The mission is part of ESA’s vision to use Earth-orbiting spacecraft as a place to live and work for the benefit of European society while using the experience to prepare for future voyages of exploration further into the Solar System.

More about the Proxima mission: http://www.esa.int/proxima

Connect with Thomas Pesquet: http://thomaspesquet.esa.int Credit: ESA/NASA