The First All-Female Spacewalk Is Scheduled For Late October

Oct 09, 2019 by apost team

Last week, it was announced that the first all-female spacewalk is scheduled to take place on October 21. 

The news comes after the first attempt for the unprecedented space walk, due to have taken place in March earlier this year, was scrapped.

Two astronauts, Christina Koch and Jessica Meir will be partaking in the space-walk. Originally, Anne McClain was intended to join the spacewalk scheduled for March, who has now returned to Earth. 

The cancellation of March’s spacewalk was reportedly due to a lack of spacesuits in the right size, as per NASA.

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Speaking to CNN back in March, Brandi Dean, who works for the NASA public affairs office said they do their “best to anticipate the spacesuit sizes that each astronaut will need.”

 "However, individuals' sizing needs may change when they are on orbit, in response to the changes living in microgravity can bring about in a body,” she added.

 “In addition, no one training environment can fully simulate performing a spacewalk in microgravity, and an individual may find that their sizing preferences change in space."

Koch is set to complete three spacewalks this month, with one already taking place on Sunday alongside astronaut Andrew Morgan, and another with Morgan taking place on October 11. 

Koch has been on the International Space Station since March 14 this year for what is her first spaceflight mission. She is due to come back to Earth in February 2020, which makes her stay on ISS the longest single spaceflight by a female in history.

Meir just arrived on the ISS this week, and will also be conducting a spacewalk with austronaut Luca Parmitano of the European Space Agency. She will stay at the ISS for the next six months.

Meir posted photos of Koch and herself embracing as she arrived at the station on Twitter. The two have been training together for the past six years.

"This is how it feels when in addition to your childhood dream being fulfilled by arriving to @Space_Station, you're greeted by your Astro-brothers and sisters on the other side of the hatch," she wrote on her tweet.

What do you think of the first all-female spacewalk finally happening? Let us know in the comments - and make sure you pass this along to your friends and family!