NASA astronaut Reid Wiseman, a Cockeysville native, has been orbiting Earth for about four months. For the first time Tuesday, he stepped into space.
Wiseman and European Space Agency astronaut Alexander Gerst embarked on the first of two spacewalks in two weeks to make some repairs on the exterior of the International Space Station.
Their tasks include relocating a failed cooling pump that was replaced last December and replacing a camera light.
The space walk began at 8:30 a.m. and was expected to last about 6 1/2 hours. It is broadcast live on NASA TV.
Wiseman will take a second space walk Oct. 15, alongside flight engineer Barry Willmore.
Baltimoreans will have a chance to see Wiseman and the space station fly overhead this week -- the station will make a highly visible flyover Wednesday night at about 7:45 p.m.