Astronaut Sunita Williams' 'Ultimate Selfie' From Ninth Spacewalk

NASA astronaut Sunita Williams, currently aboard the International Space Station (ISS), has clicked the "ultimate selfie." The photograph, shared by NASA on Instagram, was captured during her ninth spacewalk on January 30 when the ISS orbited 423 km above the Pacific Ocean.

The picture shows Ms Williams' reflection in the visor of her spacesuit helmet. Part of the ISS is visible, along with the darkness of space and the deep blue expanse of the Pacific Ocean on the left. Around her helmet, parts of her spacesuit and the station's structure can be seen. The curvature of the Earth also subtly peeks through.

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The internet is in awe.

"Selfie Winner of the week," a user commented.

Another wrote, "This selfie is the best selfie ever in the whole world history."

Someone added, "When someone says you can't do it, do it twice and take pictures."

During her ninth spacewalk, Sunita Williams and fellow astronaut Butch Wilmore stepped out of the station for 5.5 hours and removed hardware from outside of the ISS. They collected surface material samples near life support system vents for scientific analysis. Researchers will study these samples to determine whether the ISS releases microorganisms, how far they travel, and whether they can survive and reproduce in space - an essential insight for future Moon and Mars missions.

Beyond the stunning visual, Ms Williams also made history during the spacewalk by surpassing former NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson's record for total spacewalking time by a female astronaut. With 62 hours and 6 minutes of total time outside the ISS, she now ranks fourth on NASA's all-time list.

Originally set for an eight-day mission, Ms Williams and Mr Wilmore have been stranded on the ISS since June 2024 due to technical issues with Boeing's Starliner. NASA announced that Elon Musk's SpaceX would bring them home in February, but the return was delayed. The astronauts are now scheduled to return in March 2025 on the Crew 9 mission after spending nearly 300 days in space.