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Nasa: First all-female spacewalk on the ISS is called off

chrisina kochImage source, Reuters
Image caption,

Christina Koch will still carry out the spacewalk as planned, but with a male astronaut

Nasa's big all-female spacewalk has been cancelled because one of the spacesuits that would have to be used didn't fit the astronaut.

History was due to be made on 29 March when the US space agency was supposed to carry out its first ever all-female spacewalk.

Astronauts Christina Koch and Anne McClain were planning to step outside the International Space Station (ISS) to install new batteries.

But the team discovered that Christina and Anne both needed medium-sized spacesuits and only one of the medium suits was ready for use.

Now Christina Koch will go out into space with her male colleague, Nick Hague.

Nasa said that Anne McClain trained in both medium and large spacesuits but it was only after she did a spacewalk last week that she realised that the medium-size suit fitted her best.

Image source, NASA
Image caption,

Christina Koch (left) and Anne McClain (right) were due to carry out the first ever all-woman spacewalk

The suit doesn't fit - seriously?!

Nasa say the suits are available in size medium, large and extra large.

But although there are two M-sized suits on the ISS, only one of them is suitable for a spacewalk.

In this case the problem was with the second spacesuit's top section, which wasn't ready to go outside.

Nasa decided that for safety reasons they would ask one of the male astronauts to do the spacewalk rather than try to quickly fix the other M-size suit.

Image source, STR
Image caption,

Anne McClain will go on another spacewalk later in the mission

Did you know: according to space experts, bodies can change size and shape when you are in space because the changes to diet, environment and gravity.

Anne McClain even posted on social media this month that she was two inches taller than when she left earth!