Christina Koch and Jessica Meir will become the first to partake in in history ’s only all - cleaning lady spacewalk aboard the International Space Station ( ISS ) on October 21 .
Theoriginallyplanned first all - female spacewalk was cancel last March , when NASAannouncedit only had one suitably fitting spacesuit for the two woman aboard the International Space Station . Instead , both women select part in two separate co - ed spacewalks .
The spacesuit that will be worn during the spacewalk is the Extravehicular Mobility Unit ( EMU ) , a peculiarly designed “ personal starship ” of a suit that keeps the astronauts safe in the eminent - insistence vacuum of space . The spacesuit hold breathing and temperature control , communication system , bombardment power , and offers trade protection from radiation and distance dust . One part of the wooing , the hard upper body ( HUT ) , make the hiccup in the last all - distaff spacewalk try . Both charwoman best agree a average - sized HUT , but the ISS only had one useable .
“ Due to a number of factors , crop from safety to scene and performance , a crewmember may decide in compass that their size of it preferences have changed . This is not uncommon , as astronauts ’ bodies change on orbit and ground - based training can be different than performing spacewalks in the microgravity environment outside the infinite post , ” publish NASA in astatement . They added that “ when that fall out , the team on the terra firma watch what course of action mechanism will best accommodate both the astronaut ’ predilection and the need of the place post ’s schedule . ”
Thespacewalkis one of the most serious tasks that an cosmonaut will take part in during their fourth dimension aboard the ISS . Each typically endure around 6.5 minute while the astronaut remain tethered to their spacecraft to keep from floating away . Just like in the movies , astronauts wear small backpack - sized unit of measurement accomplished with jet thruster operated by a joystick to avail them move around safely .
The October 21 issue is one of 10 spacewalks out of doors of the ISS that are schedule to occur over the next few weeks , the first five of which are mean to interchange outdated nickel - hydrogen barrage on the quad station ’s truss and the following five to repair theAlpha Magnetic Spectrometer(AMS ) . The AMS has been attached to the ISS since May 2011 and is used to detectdark subject .
The next nine spacewalks will be live - streamed onNASA television .
