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Two astronauts from Expedition 61 carried out routine maintenance work on the outside of the ISS on November 22, with out-there images being released shortly afterwards. NASA astronaut

Andrew Morgan and the European Space Agency’s Luca Parmitano carried out work on the ageing Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer (AMS) which analyses cosmic rays from deep space. The US-based space

agency has now released a series of high definition images of the event, which lasted for a total of six hours and 33 minutes, showing the astronauts completing the impressive feat. One of

the images from the 11th spacewalk of the year shows Mr Parmitano taking a close up image of his visor, with the ISS appearing in the reflection. NASA said of the image: “ESA (European Space

Agency) astronaut Luca Parmitano takes an out-of-this-world ‘space-selfie’ with his spacesuit’s helmet visor up during the first spacewalk to repair the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer, the

International Space Station’s cosmic particle detector.” Another shows NASA astronaut Mr Morgan accompanied with the US flag on his sleeve, hovering over a cloudy Earth. The space agency

said: “NASA astronaut and spacewalker Andrew Morgan points his camera, protected from the hazards of microgravity by shielding, toward himself to take an out-of-this-world ‘space-selfie’.”

NASA said in a statement: “The orbiting lab’s cosmic particle detector, the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer (AMS), is getting a new thermal control system that requires innovative spacewalking

repair techniques. “Astronauts Andrew Morgan and Luca Parmitano are studying the careful, deliberate procedures with new tools specifically designed for the job. “The AMS, which has exceeded

its three-year operational lifespan by five-and-a-half years, was never designed to be repaired in space.” NASA wants at least 10 more astronauts to spend a year on board the ISS so it can

analyse how its astronauts cope in space before sending them to Mars in the future. READ MORE: BLACK HOLE MEASURING JUST 1MM WOULD DESTROY EARTH However, there is no protection from the

radiation in space. Another issue is how the lack of gravity will effect the body, as it can cause complications with blood flow and muscle atrophy. Julie Robinson, NASA’s chief scientist

for the ISS Program, said at the first Space Health Innovation Conference: “We really could do much more. We’re ready to do more, because we have 20 years of really good datasets. “What

we’re saying now is we want to really bump that up a notch and add 10 more subjects to that US database.”