NASA explains why it did not have enough combinations for an all-female outing – BGR

It was supposed to be a historic week for NASA, with the first exit in the space reserved for women, initially scheduled for Friday. Unfortunately, a last-minute exchange resulted in the replacement of one of the expected participants, Anne McClain, by her compatriot Nick Hague.

NASA's explanation was that McClain would not have a space suit for the spacewalk, as Christina Koch would wear the medium-waisted jumpsuit that McClain wore when she first went out into space last week. That left a lot of people scratching their heads. After all, NASA says there are two space suits of all sizes aboard the ISS, so why could not McClain and Koch wear the same suit? Talk with CNNNASA representatives gave a deeper explanation.

The long discussion reveals some of the quirks of life aboard the International Space Station, as well as a glimpse into how human bodies change once in space.

Back on Earth, McClain was trained in medium and large costumes. Originally, NASA predicted that McClain would wear the larger suit, while Koch would wear medium support. However, during McClain's recent spacewalk, it became clear that the medium-sized suit suited him better in space, leaving NASA in trouble.

NASA has two space suits of each size on the ISS, but only one of them is fully equipped and ready to be used at any time. Other combinations, which are considered backups, can not be removed and used immediately, and must be prepared for use in space.

Brandi Dean of NASA explains it this way:

We strive to anticipate the size of spacesuit each astronaut will need, depending on the size of the suit he / she wore during his / her ground training and, in some cases (including Anne McClain's), astronauts train in many sizes. However, the size needs of individuals can change when they are in orbit, in response to changes that microgravity can cause in the body. In addition, no training environment can fully simulate microgravity space output, and a user may find that his or her sizing preferences change in space.

Training in various space suits on Earth does not accurately predict which combination will suit you best in space. In this case, time pressed between the two spacewalks forced NASA to replace McClain with Hague. It's obviously a defeat for McClain, but nobody wants to float in space in a suit that does not fit.

Source of image: NASA