NASA Astronauts Venture Outside the Space Station for Fifth All-Female Spacewalk

The astronaut missed during the first all-female spaceship due to a sizing issue with the space suits. Six years later, I finally got my chance on Thursday.

NASA’s Anne McClain ventured out from the International Space Station alongside Nichole Ayers. Both are military officers and pilots who returned instead of going to the Orbit Lab in March with two other astronauts. Now, I’m back home.

Just before floating out, McClain spotted a loose string on the index finger of her right glove. Mission Control briefly postponed the launch to ensure her glove was secure.

During the mission, the duo prepared the space station for a new solar panel and adjusted the antenna at the 260-mile-high complex.

On Wednesday evening, the space station needed to be elevated slightly to avoid debris: remnants of a 20-year-old Chinese rocket.

McClain, an army colonel and helicopter pilot, was originally set to participate in the first all-female spacewalk in 2019, but the medium-sized suit was insufficient. The historic mission was accomplished by Christina Koch and Jessica Meir. This latest outing marks the fifth time a woman has gone outside the spacecraft in a 60-year history.

Koch is set to become the first woman to fly to the moon. Along with three male astronauts, she will orbit the moon without landing next year as part of NASA’s Artemis program, the successor to Apollo.

Currently, men continue to outnumber women in NASA’s astronaut corps.

Out of NASA’s 47 active astronauts, 20 are women. Among the seven astronauts now aboard the space station, McClain and Ayers are the only females. This marks Ayers’ first mission, while McClain is on her third.