Last-minute NASA decision to cancel all-female spacewalk spotlights spacesuit problem. - NBCNewsMACH
“On the International Space Station, there are just four spacesuits available out of a total of just 11 spacesuits that NASA has in total for the ISS,” said spacesuit expert Pablo de Leon, a professor of space studies at the University of North Dakota. “This is due to the fact that the spacesuits that are now used are the same ones that were used during the space shuttle program.”— and de Leon said the suits had been designed in the late 1970s.
The suits are much more than airtight coveralls with helmets and gloves. They’ve been described as miniature spaceships, capable of enabling astronauts to move around comfortably while protecting them from temperature extremes and the airless vacuum of space. Developing and fabricating additional suits for use on the space station would take several years, he added, so doing so might not make sense since the station itself will probably be retired in 2024.
NASA didn't specify the other factors that contributed to the decision to alter the spacewalk schedule and didn't reply to an email requesting more information in time to be included in this article.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
More Boeing problems: Another space vehicle it’s building for NASA is significantly delayedThe latest date for the first test of Boeing's Starliner capsule was to be in April, which was already pushed back repeatedly. Now that first flight — a test mission without any astronauts on board — is going to be delayed to at least August, according to two officials with knowledge of the situation.
Read more »
NASA rocket becomes Boeing’s latest headache as Trump demands moon missionAgency head dismayed by new delay, but “Senate Launch System” has strong political support.
Read more »
NASA Publishes Stunning New 'Jupiter Marble' Image Created By 'Citizen Scientist'Yet another incredible image has been sent back from Jupiter, with a little help from an online community of volunteers.
Read more »
NASA Publishes Stunning New 'Jupiter Marble' Image Created By 'Citizen Scientist'NASA has published a stunning new global view of the planet Jupiter using data from its Juno space probe, but the image itself was created by a volunteer citizen scientist
Read more »