It was supposed to be a historic spacewalk. A team of only women were going to do a mission and leave the International Space Station.
But the plans have been canceled because the station doesn't have enough correct fitting suits for the women, NASA officials said Monday.
Anne McClain was supposed to do the space walk with Christina Koch Friday, but on a her first outing on March 22, McClain said the best-fitting hard upper torso part of the spacesuit was medium-sized, NBC News reported.
Only one medium-sized hard upper torso, or "shirt of the spacesuit," can be made ready by Friday, NASA officials explained. That piece of equipment has been allocated for Koch, according to NBC News.
There is a second one on the space station, but it is a backup and not configured for the walk.
Spacewalks are a challenge, but the right equipment makes the job easier! Spacesuits are the most important gear. To get the best fit, we've updated the assignments for our March 29 and April 8 spacewalks outside the @Space_Station. Get more details: https://t.co/AoXmgVqKkJ pic.twitter.com/xrCKdMgFXr
— NASA (@NASA) March 25, 2019
In addition to McClain and Koch, the spacewalk was supposed to be manned on the ground by flight directors Mary Lawrence and Kristen Facciol at Mission Control in Houston, according to NBC.
McClain’s position on the Friday walk has now been given to Nick Hague. McClain’s next walk is now scheduled for April 8 with Canadian astronaut David Saint-Jacques,
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