A creative renovation of a Wexford dormer bungalow into a light and bright family home
A creative renovation of a Wexford dormer bungalow into a light and bright family home

Amanda Kavanagh

Wedding planning? Don’t miss this incredible wedding showcase happening this month
Wedding planning? Don’t miss this incredible wedding showcase happening this month

Sarah Gill

Designed by an award-winning architect, this split level property in Cork is on the market for €950,000
Designed by an award-winning architect, this split level property in Cork is on the market...

Sarah Gill

Why you should know more about the contraception options for women in Ireland today
Why you should know more about the contraception options for women in Ireland today

Leonie Corcoran

This extremely aesthetically pleasing Portarlington home is on the market for €268,000
This extremely aesthetically pleasing Portarlington home is on the market for €268,000

Sarah Gill

Supper Club: Mary Berry’s Moules Marinière recipe
Supper Club: Mary Berry’s Moules Marinière recipe

Sarah Finnan

This stunning Connemara home makes the most of its incredible views with earthy tones and organic textures
This stunning Connemara home makes the most of its incredible views with earthy tones and...

Megan Burns

Indoor trees: the expert guide to keeping them in Irish homes
Indoor trees: the expert guide to keeping them in Irish homes

Megan Burns

Vogue Williams shares her summer entertaining essentials
Vogue Williams shares her summer entertaining essentials

Vogue Williams

‘It felt like jumping into the deep end of the swimming pool’
‘It felt like jumping into the deep end of the swimming pool’

IMAGE

Image / Editorial

NASA cancelled the first all-female spacewalk for a depressing reason


By Jennifer McShane
26th Mar 2019
NASA cancelled the first all-female spacewalk for a depressing reason

Today, NASA announced they cancelled their all-female spacewalk because it doesn’t have enough spacesuits that fit women.

Yes, you read that right.

There was great excitement earlier this month, NASA announced that the first ever all-female spacewalk would be taking place at the International Space Station (ISS) on 29 March. Astronauts Christina Koch and Anne McClain were scheduled to head into space on a mission to replace vital batteries at the ISS, with support on the ground from flight team Mary Lawrence and Kristen Facciol.

This was hugely significant news because although there have been over 200 spacewalks at the ISS since 1998, none have been led by women. And generally, the teams involved on the walks that did happen have either been all-male or featured only a small number of women. In fact, the number is embarrassingly low; in 60 years of space flight, there have only been four missions that included two female members trained for spacewalks.

So, what happened?

NASA was forced to cancel what would have been the first all-female spacewalk because only one of the two spacesuits available was appropriately sized.

Anne McClain, one-half of the female duo that was set to launch this Friday, had to give her spot to a male counterpart. McClain, who was supposed to travel with Christina Koch, attempted to walk and manoeuvre in the large-size suit during testing last week, but in the end, it was determined she’d best be able to accomplish her mission in a medium-size suit.

Stephanie Schierholz, a spokeswoman for NASA, said in her announcement, “Anne trained in ‘M’ and ‘L’ and thought she could use a large but decided after [last] Friday’s spacewalk a medium fits better.”

Fellow women quickly expressed their disdain on social media at how an organisation famed for their use of math and exact science could have made such an obvious blunder.

Hillary Clinton, who sent out a tweet this morning in response to the news, summed up the entire situation.

However, even though they did get another suit in the appropriate size, there was no time to go through the procedure again, so the plans had to be changed.  In defence, Schierholz said, “In this case, it’s easier (and faster!) to change space-walkers than reconfigure the suit.”

Yes, safety matters. And yes, we want both women to go out comfortable and safe. But was it too much to ask that such a renowned entity could get a thing like a space suit correctly sized?

McClain now is tentatively scheduled to perform her next spacewalk on Monday, April 8, but there’s no word on when – or if – Christina Koch will join her in the future.

Main photograph: @NASA