Two female NASA astronauts will not make history on Friday by being the first-ever all female crew to conduct a spacewalk at the International Space Station because of spacesuit availability.
Anne McClain will not be joining Christina Koch on the spacewalk as originally planned, and Nick Hague will take McClain’s place.
On Monday, NASA said the change happened because it only had one medium-sized spacesuit torso at the station, but on Tuesday clarified that the personnel change happened in order to stay on schedule.
“[I]t’s safer and faster to change spacewalker assignments than reconfigure spacesuits,” NASA tweeted Tuesday.
We’ve seen your tweets about spacesuit availability for Friday’s spacewalk. To clarify, we have more than 1 medium size spacesuit torso aboard, but to stay on schedule with @Space_Station upgrades, it’s safer & faster to change spacewalker assignments than reconfigure spacesuits. pic.twitter.com/tPisBHaF2p
— NASA (@NASA) March 26, 2019
In a statement Monday NASA said that both McClain and Koch needed medium-sized torsos for the spacesuit, which meant only one of them could continue in the mission.
“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,” NASA said in its statement.
NASA scheduled two astronauts to conduct three spacewalks to complete work on the International Space Station. Hauge and McClain completed the first on March 22, and McClain and Koch were set to go on the second on Friday to continue work before McClain discovered she needed a medium spacesuit.
When former Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton heard of the shortage in spacesuits, she told NASA to make another one.
Make another suit. https://t.co/mu9w13xsi0
— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) March 26, 2019
McClain and Koch are still only the 13th and 14th women to perform a spacewalk.
