Italian, Russian Share Rare Spacewalk Amid Ukraine Tensions

This image provided by NASA, Italian astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti and Russian cosmonaut Oleg Artemyev perform maintenance on the International Space Station on July 21, 2022. (NASA via AP).

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla.—An Italian astronaut joined a Russian cosmonaut in a rare spacewalking show of unity Thursday, as tensions over Ukraine continued to ricochet back home.

Italy’s Samantha Cristoforetti teamed up with Russia’s Oleg Artemyev to work on the International Space Station’s newest robot arm. The 37-foot (11-meter) mechanical limb—contributed by the European Space Agency—rocketed into orbit with a Russian lab last July.