NASA finally finds a spacesuit that fits, so 2 female astronauts get to make history
Two female astronauts will make a historic walk after NASA finally provided spacesuits that were the right size.
Christina Koch and Jessica Meir are scheduled to be in the first-ever all-female spacewalk on Oct. 21, officials announced last week.
Koch, who has ties to North Carolina, is also expected to have the record-setting “longest single spaceflight by a woman,” NASA says. The astronaut said her milestones are significant, according to an online video.
“I think it’s important because of the historical nature of what we’re doing,” Koch said in the video interview posted Friday on the International Space Station’s Twitter page. “And that in the past, women haven’t always been at the table.”
The history-making spacewalk is one of three scheduled later this month, according to NASA. All participants will help switch out batteries on the International Space Station, the agency’s blog post says.
It comes after NASA in March canceled the first all-female venture because there weren’t enough suits with the right fit, The Charlotte Observer previously reported.
Since then, another medium-sized suit has been sent into space, according to The Verge and other news outlets.
The agency says crew members test out the gear while still on Earth, but their bodies go through changes when they’re away.
Koch is a NC State University graduate and was raised in Jacksonville, North Carolina, according to the NASA website.
This story was originally published October 8, 2019 at 11:45 AM with the headline "NASA finally finds a spacesuit that fits, so 2 female astronauts get to make history."
