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First All-Female Spacewalk Canceled Because NASA Doesn't Have Two Suits That Fit (npr.org)
The first all-female spacewalk scheduled for Friday has been cancelled by NASA (Warning: source may be paywalled; alternative source) because they don't have two spacesuits that fit the female astronauts. According to The New York Times, Anne C. McClain and Christina H. Koch both need to wear a medium-size torso component, but only one is readily available at the International Space Station. From the report: The mission itself is unchanged. On Friday, two astronauts will venture outside of the space station on a six-hour mission to install massive lithium-ion batteries that will help to power the research laboratory. Ms. Koch is still scheduled to participate, along with her fellow astronaut Nick Hague; Ms. McClain did her first spacewalk last week. But the first women-only venture outside of the confines of the space station will have to happen on another day. "After consulting with McClain and Hague following the first spacewalk, mission managers decided to adjust the assignments, due in part to spacesuit availability on the station," NASA said in a statement.
Stephanie Schierholz, a spokeswoman for NASA, said in an interview on Monday that there were already two medium-size hard upper torsos -- "essentially the shirt of the spacesuit," according to NASA -- at the space station. But there were a couple of issues. One was that Ms. McClain had thought she would be able to work in a large-size torso, but after her spacewalk last Friday, she wore a medium-size torso and learned that it fit her better. Ms. Koch also uses the same size. And of the two medium-size torsos available, one has yet to be properly configured for a spacewalk. It would take hours of crew labor -- not to mention some additional risk -- to fix that in time for Friday. Instead of doing that, NASA decided to simply switch out the astronauts. In the end, both women will have done a spacewalk -- just not together.
Stephanie Schierholz, a spokeswoman for NASA, said in an interview on Monday that there were already two medium-size hard upper torsos -- "essentially the shirt of the spacesuit," according to NASA -- at the space station. But there were a couple of issues. One was that Ms. McClain had thought she would be able to work in a large-size torso, but after her spacewalk last Friday, she wore a medium-size torso and learned that it fit her better. Ms. Koch also uses the same size. And of the two medium-size torsos available, one has yet to be properly configured for a spacewalk. It would take hours of crew labor -- not to mention some additional risk -- to fix that in time for Friday. Instead of doing that, NASA decided to simply switch out the astronauts. In the end, both women will have done a spacewalk -- just not together.
With their lack of budget and who creates some of there products dictated by which State voted "correctly", fitting is very difficult for NASA.
They have their template suites on Earth that they use for fitting. The problem is the materials act differently that high up. The other problem is each suite is slightly different.
These suites where built between 1982 and 1986. Originally they were pretty much the same, but all hand made. Now they sometimes are repair on Earth, but other times are repaired in space with the materials available. The templates, and even the various suites just don't match anymore. Some suites they've had to bring back because they are disintegrating.
There has been a program in place to create new suites, but it has been taking a long time, particularly due to who they can work with changing every 2 years with elections, partially due to government budgets dictating what money will be spent on.
Microsoft, Apple, Google, Amazon what's the difference? All steal money from devs and control with walled gardens.
Long ago, there was a proposal for "skinsuits", very tightly fitted suits much like wetsuits that were completely form fitting and much lighter. The suits were also not airtight. Air (or oxygen) was fed in through the helmet, which was quite rigid, and leaked into the suit and leaked out for cooling. They relied on the strength of the fabric, and of the skin of the astronaut, to provide the mechanical support to keep the astronaut intact in vacuum. The design was much lighter than NASA and Soviet designs, and much less expensive. The operational difference was like that between a scuba diver and a the old dry suits with brass helmets and hoses. The design was lighter, took less space, and was much easier to maintain.
I do not know what has held up development for this kind of suit. The difference in weight of the suit, alone, should have saved enough fuel costs at launch time to justify research. I don't understand why the astronauts themselves have not demanded it, to improve mobility.
What kind of twisted, self-flagellating logic is required to see this story as sexist?
const int one = 65536; (Silvermoon, Texture.cs)
SJW, n: "Someone I don't like, and by the way I'm a fuckwit" - AC