It would have been a first: The first outdoor use at the International Space Station, which is exclusively denied by women. NASA astronauts Christina Koch and Anne McClain should leave the station together on Friday to replace batteries.
However, NASA’s ground floor mate Mary Lawrence cautiously warned last week that if the outings are as planned, this would be Anne’s and Christina’s first outreach with women alone. „It can be a proud moment for NASA, if all goes well, and I’m generally proud of the team that all four US astronauts get the chance to go out in the field.“ If the astronauts could inspire the next generation of space explorers, they are definitely worthy of it.
Only a matching space suit
This premiere is no longer possible: NASA had to reschedule, and that’s because of the spacesuits on the International Space Station. McClain had trained in two different suit sizes for the ISS. However, during her first field outing last week, she realized that the size M suit works best for her. However, Koch also needs a suit in size M.
But with only one suit of this size ready to go, McClain stays in the station and is replaced by her colleague Nick Hague. A NASA spokeswoman said if you have the option of simply sharing people, the mission is more important than a cool milestone.
Modern batteries for the ISS
NASA Manager Kenneth Todd said it was not a long-term plan to go outdoors with women only. Outdoor missions would be planned for a long time, for different astronauts. Only in the course of the conversations did they notice that this historical outdoor use could come about.
NASA is currently undergoing a series of modernizations at the ISS. For this the astronauts have to work from the outside at the station. Currently, it is about replacing older batteries with modern lithium-ion batteries. Todd said, „A few years ago, we bought lithium-ion batteries, an advancement in technology, like batteries in their homes: over time, they’re not charging so well anymore, they’re not so long-lasting. that we have to replace the batteries once. “
When it comes to the first outdoor use only with women, is still open. But according to NASA, this is inevitable because the proportion of female astronauts has increased.
