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By David Freeman
NASA's last-minute decision to cancel what would have been an outing in the historic space reserved for women triggered a quick and sardonic response on social networks – and shed light on a problem that lasts since a long time. The agency does not have enough combinations.
Astronauts Anne McClain and Christina Koch were scheduled to leave the ISS on Friday to exchange batteries. But NASA announced Monday that after consulting McClain, the mission leaders decided to transfer the tasks "partly because of the availability of the space suit on the station".
At a previous outing in the space, McClain had learned that a medium-sized "hard chest" – the part of the modular suits that covered the chest – suited him best, said the ### 39; agency. But only one of these could be ready to be worn on the station by Friday. NASA said it would be worn by Koch.
The decision immediately sparked a reaction on Twitter, with some apparently considering that the cancellation is proof that women are still not fully participating in the space program more than three decades after Sally Ride became the first American in space.
"NASA = No space suit accessory availableSaid archeologist Sarah Parcak in a tweet.
"We put a man on the moon but we do not find a space suit that suits a woman by FridayArianna Huffington tweeted.
Hillary Clinton simply tweeted:Make another costume. "
Beyond the issue of possible sexism in the space program, experts said the canceled march illustrated NASA's shortage of space suits – a problem detailed in a 2017 report by the Inspector General.
"On the International Space Station, there are only four combinations available out of a total of 11 NASA-owned combinations for the ISS," said Pablo de Leon, expert in space suits, professor of 39, Space Studies at the University of North Dakota. "This is because the spatial combinations that are now used are the same as those used during the space shuttle program."
NASA's space shuttles were first shipped in 1981 and were removed in 2011 – and de Leon said the suits were designed in the late 1970s.
The agency planned to make new combinations for astronauts during space station sorties, but no funding has been awarded, according to De Leon.
Combinations are much more than air-tight suits with helmets and gloves. They have been described as miniature spaceships, capable of allowing astronauts to move comfortably while protecting them from extreme temperatures and the airless emptiness of space.
They weigh more than 150 kilos each (about 331 pounds), de Leon said, and their cost is as astronomical as the environment in which they are worn. "If you could put a price tag on every suit, that's $ 22 million," he said.
The development and manufacture of additional combinations for use on the space station would take several years, he added, so it might not be logical since the station itself will probably be retired in 2024.
McClain is now scheduled to take a space trip with Canadian Space Agency astronaut David Saint-Jacques on April 8th.
NASA did not specify the other factors that contributed to the decision to change the release schedule in the space and did not respond to an email asking that more than one. information in time are included in this article.
NASA's retired astronaut, Greg Chamitoff, who is now an engineering professor at Texas A & M University, said in an email that NASA had "been left behind by all public announcements regarding extravehicular activity at two "EVA. He added that the agency "should probably have delayed the release in space" to prepare the other trial.
"Obviously, the work has taken precedence over conducting an EVA composed of two women and now, NASA must suffer the public's retaliation instead of the enthusiasm that he hoped for" , did he declare. "A shame."
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