Nasa cancels first all-female spacewalk because it doesn’t have enough spacesuits that fit

NASA’S first ever all-female spacewalk has been canned because the agency doesn’t have enough spacesuits in the right size.

Astronauts Christina Koch and Anne McClain had been scheduled to carry out the first-of-its-kind mission outside the International Space Station on Friday.

But a wardrobe malfunction means McClain will be replaced with a man on the zero-gravity maintenance job, which involves installing new batteries on the orbiting space lab.

Problems arose during a spacewalk last week led by McClain and fellow astronaut Nick Hague, Nasa said.

McClain realised she needed a different sized spacesuit for Friday’s mission, but Nasa only has one in this size.

“Koch had been scheduled to conduct this spacewalk with astronaut McClain, in what would have been the first all-female spacewalk,” Nasa said in a statement.

“However, after consulting with McClain and Hague following the first spacewalk, mission managers decided to adjust the assignments, due in part to spacesuit availability on the station.

“McClain learned during her first spacewalk that a medium-size hard upper torso – essentially the shirt of the spacesuit – fits her best. Because only one medium-size torso can be made ready by Friday, March 29, Koch will wear it.”

McClain became the 13th woman to walk in space following last week’s mission. Koch will be the 14th.

McClain is now “tentatively scheduled” to perform her next one on 8 April – also with a male astronaut.

The first woman to perform a spacewalk was the Soviet cosmonaut Svetlana Savitskaya, 35 years ago.

Since then, more than 500 people have been into space, but only 55 of these have been women.

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