The first exit in NASA's women's space did not take place because they lacked women's suits

NASA aborted its mission for the first-ever female spacewalk around the International Space Station, as there are not enough space suits for female astronauts, the agency said.

Astronauts Anne McClain and Christina Koch planned to conclude Women's History Month with a spacewalk on Friday to install batteries outside the space station.

But NASA spokeswoman Stephanie Schierholz said in an email to The Washington Post that both women now needed a medium-sized torso – the space suit t-shirt – and that There was only one medium-sized suit ready to be used on the space station. use. According to NASA, astronauts Nick Hague and McClain completed the first spacewalk of the series earlier this month. Hague and Koch plan to attend the next outing later this week.

Still, Schierholz said: "We believe that an exit into the all-female space is inevitable."

McClain and Koch were both members of NASA's astronaut class in 2013, 50% of whom were women, NASA said.

McClain, an American army officer and pilot, "wanted to be an astronaut from the age of 3 or 4," she said in a video interview with NASA in 2015. "I I remember telling my mom at that time and I never strayed from what I wanted to be. Something about exploration has fascinated me since my youngest age. "

McClain is currently aboard the ISS, where she is accompanied by an adorable earth plush toy.

Koch, an electrical engineer, makes his first flight in space, according to NASA. Space is only the last exciting frontier that Koch has conquered: her work has led her to expeditions to the South Pole and the Arctic.

Asked in an interview in February about the importance of carrying out her mission during Women's History Month, she said, "This is a unique opportunity, and I hope I can inspire people who could watch."

Noting that she did not have many engineers hoping to grow up in Jacksonville, North Carolina, she added, "I hope that I can be an example for people who are n & # 39; 39, might not have someone to look at as a mentor … that does not matter. From where you come from or what examples there might be around you, you can realize what you are passionate about. "

"If it's a role I can serve," she said, "it would be an honor for me to do it."

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