Buzz
Two female astronauts were set to make history on March 29 by completing the first all-female spacewalk, but their spacesuits posed a problem.
According to the BBC, NASA had to cancel the planned spacewalk at the International Space Station due to sizing issues with one of the spacesuits. It was revealed a bit too late that both astronauts—Christina Koch and Anne McClain—required medium-sized hard upper torsos. However, only one of the medium-sized suits had been prepared for spacewalking. As a result, instead of McClain, male astronaut Nick Hague will take her place alongside Koch to install batteries at the space station.
"Anne trained with 'M' and 'L' sizes and initially thought she could use a large one, but after last Friday's spacewalk, she realized a medium fit better," said Stephanie Schierholz, a NASA spokesperson. "In this situation, it's quicker (and easier!) to switch astronauts than to reconfigure the spacesuit."
One challenge is that it's difficult to determine the right fit for an astronaut before they have actually been to space. "Sizing requirements may change when individuals are in orbit due to the effects microgravity can have on the body," said Brandi Dean, a spokesperson for the Johnson Space Center in Houston, to the AFP.
In this instance, McClain realized she needed a smaller suit during an actual spacewalk last Friday, making her the 13th woman to reach this achievement. Koch will become the 14th woman when she completes her planned spacewalk this week.
This news follows just two weeks after NASA's administrator made headlines by suggesting that the first astronaut to set foot on Mars would likely be a woman. Jim Bridenstine also stated that a woman is expected to be the next person to walk on the Moon.
