An astronaut who could not participate in the first totally feminine space walk due to a problem with the size of the space costume finally had his opportunity six years later, this Thursday (01.05.2025).
NASA Astronaut Anne McClain left the International Space Station (EEI) together with Nichole Ayers. Both military officers and pilots were launched to the Orbital Laboratory in March to replace two NASA astronauts that were stranded and now are back at home.
Incident with the space suit: critical security inspection
Minutes before leaving, after the first phase of preparation of the mission, McClain noticed a “cut”, threads of thread, on the index finger of his right glove. The mission control briefly delayed the beginning of the space walk to ensure that your glove was safe.
“If it helps you, when I bend it, it is like right in the corner where your finger bends,” McClain told Houston through the voice link, “but when I bend it, a small tab opens.” Once the video transmission from their helmet was established, the controllers were able to examine the problem more detail.
“Ev-1, here Houston, thank you very much for your video, we are evaluating and arguing on land,” said the mission control.
Fortunately, the problem was not considered serious enough. After analyzing the situation, Houston determined: “It is a Turtleskin cord along the sewing of the finger”, a special fabric manufactured by a NASA contractor, explained a spokesman for the agency A Futurism.
Tasks completed in the US: Maintenance of solar panels
Once the difficulty has exceeded, the astronauts prepared for almost six hours an outdoor the station for another new set of solar panels and moved an antenna in the complex at 260 miles (420 kilometers) high. They were received back by the Commander of the Space Station, the Japanese astronaut Takuya Onishi.
“We are very happy to have them back, and their dinner is ready so they don’t worry,” Onishi said.
The space station had to be elevated to a slightly higher orbit on Wednesday night to avoid space waste: part of a 20 -year -old Chinese rocket.
Advances towards equality in space exploration
McClain, Army Colonel and helicopter pilot, should have participated in the first totally feminine space walk in 2019, but there were not enough medium -sized suits. The first space walk only of women was made by Christina Koch and Jessica Meir. The latter was the fifth totally feminine space walk in 60 years of space walks.
Koch will soon become the first woman to fly to the moon. She and three male astronauts will fly around the moon without landing next year within the NASA Artemis program, successor of the Apollo.
Men still exceed women in NASA’s body of astronauts.
Of NASA’s 47 active astronauts, 20 are women. And of the seven astronauts who currently live in the space station, McClain and Ayers are the only women. This was the first space walk for Ayers, major of the Air Force and former fighter pilot, and the third for McClain.
FEW (AP, NASA, Future)
