Nasa’s first all-female spacewalk cancelled due to spacesuit size issue

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Nasa’s first all-female spacewalk cancelled due to spacesuit size issue

2019-03-27 17:28 Last Updated At：17:29

Astronaut Nick Hague will go instead of Anne McClain following a change of spacesuit size requirements.

Nasa’s first ever all-female spacewalk will no longer go ahead as planned because of a late change to one of the astronaut’s spacesuit size requirements.

Astronauts Anne McClain and Christina Koch were originally due to take part in the historic moment on Friday, but the space agency has announced that male astronaut Nick Hague will now go instead of McClain.

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

The American space agency said that McClain originally thought a large-sized spacesuit would be fit for purpose, but following a spacewalk last week decided that a medium would be safer.

There is more than one medium size spacesuit torso on board the International Space Station, Nasa explained, but it would not be able to make it available in time.

It was therefore deemed safer and faster to change spacewalker assignments instead of reconfiguring spacesuits.

“We have another medium size spacesuit segment on the station,” Nasa spokeswoman, Stephanie Schierholz, said.

“Anne trained in M and L and thought she could use a large but decided after Friday’s spacewalk a medium fits better. In this case, it’s easier (and faster!) to change spacewalkers than reconfigure the spacesuit.”

Some more shots of the #spacewalk on Friday – was privileged to work with my friend and colleague @NASA_Astronauts @AstroHague pic.twitter.com/KueUo7HXFm

— Anne McClain (@AstroAnnimal) March 25, 2019

To date, spacewalks have all been entirely male-led or a mix of male and females, but never all-female.

Many took to social media to express their disappointment, while others agreed that safety should come first and shared hopes of an all-female spacewalk being rescheduled in the not so distant future.

The space agency has not stated when it will try again to make an all-female spacewalk happen.

Boeing calls off its first astronaut launch because of valve issue on rocket

2024-05-07 13:45 Last Updated At：13:50

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — Boeing called off its first astronaut launch because of a valve problem on the rocket Monday night.

The two NASA test pilots had just strapped into Boeing’s Starliner capsule for a flight to the International Space Station when the countdown was halted, just two hours before the planned liftoff.

United Launch Alliance CEO Tory Bruno said an oxygen pressure-relief valve on the upper stage of the company's Atlas rocket started fluttering open and close, creating a loud buzz.

The valve may have exceeded its 200,000 lifetime cycles, Bruno said, which means it would have to be replaced, pushing the launch into next week. But if engineers can determine the valve is still within that limit, the launch team could try again as soon as Friday.

It was the latest delay for Boeing's first crew flight, on hold for years because of capsule trouble.

Bruno said similar valve trouble had occurred in years past on a few other Atlas rockets launching satellites. It was quickly resolved by turning the troublesome valves off and back on. But the company has stricter flight rules for astronaut flights, prohibiting valve recycling when a crew is on board.

“And so we stayed with the rules and the procedures, and scrubbed as a result," Bruno said at a press conference.

NASA's commercial crew program manager Steve Stich acknowledged it was a tough call.

“We’re taking it one step at a time, and we’re going to launch when we’re ready and fly when it’s safe to do so," Stich told reporters.

Within minutes of the countdown halting, Boeing's new astrovan was back at the launch pad to retrieve Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams from their pad at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.

Starliner’s first test flight without a crew in 2019 failed to reach the space station and Boeing had to repeat the flight. Then the company encountered parachute issues and flammable tape.

NASA hired Boeing and SpaceX a decade ago to ferry astronauts to and from the space station after the shuttle program ended, paying the private companies billions of dollars. SpaceX has been in the orbital taxi business since 2020.

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