These Two Women Astronauts Made History By Doing The First-Ever All-Female Space Walk
While the history of space exploration can be traced back to people observing objects in space before the reliable recorded history, the history of humans in space is significantly shorter. The first successful human spaceflight happened only 58 years ago when Yuri Gagarin orbited around the globe in 1961. Humanity came miles since then in space exploration, having approximately 500 people who have visited space by now. But there’s a new historical event on the verge of happening as the first-ever all-female spacewalk is bound to happen today!
These two women just made history by completing the first ever all-female spacewalk
Image credits: NASA
The two ladies were scheduled to do the spacewalk at 7:50 a.m. E.T. on October 18th, 2019 with the goal of replacing a faulty battery charge/discharge unit that failed to activate after a spacewalk on October 11. The faulty unit ass preventing a set of recently installed batteries from providing increased power, so it must have been replaced before continuing a series of spacewalks to install new batteries.
It was the fourth spacewalk for US astronaut, Christina Koch
Image credits: NASA
Koch, whose childhood dream was to become an astronaut, began her academic career at North Carolina State University where she earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering and Physics and a Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering. She graduated from the NASA Academy program at Goddard Space Flight Center in 2001. While she’s done most of her work in space science instrument development and remote scientific engineering fields, she also spent 3.5 years traveling the Arctic and Antarctic regions. She described this time as challenging mentally and physically.
And the first spacewalk for Swedish-American-Israeli NASA astronaut, Jessica Meir
Image credits: NASA
When asked what inspired her to become an astronaut, Jessica Meir recalls it could have been the Space Shuttle missions on television she watched as a child. She also adds that, “It might have had something to do with the fact that the stars shone so brightly in rural Maine”. She holds a Master of Space Studies degree and a Ph.D. in marine biology. She’s a Brown University alum and has done some work at the Harvard Medical School as well. Meir has been on board the ISS since September 25, 2019, and due to holding a double American and Swedish citizenship, she is also the first Swedish woman in space.
This event made history after the previous attempt to have an all-female spacewalk failed in the spring of 2019
Image credits: Astro_Jessica
Women started conquering space 35 years ago. The first woman to ever do a spacewalk was Russian Cosmonaut Svetlana Savitskaya in July of 1984. She was followed by a NASA astronaut Kathy Sullivan in October 1984. During these 35 years, 12 U.S. women completed 40 different spacewalks.
Which had to be called off because of spacesuit trouble
Image credits: Astro_Jessica
If you are wondering what’s the difference between an astronaut and a cosmonaut, cosmonauts are people who are trained and certified to work in space by the Russian Space Agency and astronauts are those who were trained and certified for spacework by NASA, ESA, CSA or JAXA.
Luckily enough, NASA provided enough medium-size spacesuits to finally make it possible this time
Image credits: Intl. Space Station
While it may seem there’s no big difference between the two terms, as essentially all the people get similar training, ultimately the separation of terms is one of respect. The Russians have a long history of spaceflight, as they were the first to put a man into space (Russian cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin is the first human ever to journey into outer space) and to this day holds the record for the longest time in space for an individual. Every cosmonaut that’s rewarded with this title gets to take on a mantle once worn by Yuri Gagarin himself.
As planned, Koch and Meir left the International Space Station at 7:50 AM ET time
Image credits: Astro_Jessica
Even though approximately 500 people have been to space already, only 10 percent of this number are women. Most of the spacewalks that happened before had both men and women participating until NASA scheduled the first-ever all-female spacewalk earlier this year. Sadly, it didn’t come to happen due to spacesuit troubles.
The purpose of this spacewalk was to replace a failed power controller
Image credits: Astro_Christina
Turns out, Christina Koch was scheduled to do the all-female spacewalk in the spring as well. Sadly, it never happened because there was only one medium-size spacesuit in the ISS ready for use at the moment, so NASA decided to postpone the long-overdue event of having an all-female spacewalk.
The spacewalkers were assisted by Commander Luca Parmitano of the European Space Agency and NASA Flight Engineer, Andrew Morgan
Image credits: Intl. Space Station
There is more information on this historic spacewalk on both Koch and Meir’s Twitter, as well as NASA’s social media accounts.
The historical event was broadcasted on NASA TV where everyone with Internet access could spectate the spacewalk live!
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Okay... women have been to space even died on space shuttle explosions together with men. How's this news again?
ok… but so what? woman goes in space too. it's not new. woman can do same job as men… why make a story about that? i Don't consider them different for doing that job. why consider woman as a little fragile animal and make a big fuss anytime they do Something like that? Don't you think it's making them appart even more?
I agree with you to be honest (I'm a woman)... all of this noise for two women that have already gone to space and taken space walks. But of course this time is different because they're going together, instead of going with men? Give me a break...
Load More Replies...
This was planned a while ago, but was postponed after they found out they do not have EVA suits of the correct size. Yes, the first all-female EVA was postponed because women astronauts literally couldn't go outside like that, having nothing to wear.
I can't wait until this whole first woman, first black, first gay, first hispanic, first trans, first this, first that garbage is over. I'm so sick of hearing how we're all equal but then still have to hear all these firsts. Nobody cares!
It's pandering and condescending. This is making them sound like, 'Hey, aren't these two gals amazing? Let's hear it for these little ladies.' Why can't they just be two qualified astronauts performing a mission? That would be true equality. I'm cringing hard for these two. They don't deserve to be treated like this.
I love this, but I would suggest a title change. The url already has it, but the title on here says "Women Astronauts". Wouldn't female Astronauts be better? From my experience, "woman doctor" etc is often used to contrast the "normal" perception of the term "doctor" (as in male), sometimes mockingly. So it has a slightly derogatory connotation, therefore I suggest the "female" version as it is more neutral and scientific. May sound like nitpicking, but language shapes perception, so why not start here. :) (If I got this wrong, please correct me, non-native speaker here).
Don't mean to hurt any women's feelings. I'm glad they were able to do a space walk and enjoy the event, but this isn't anything new or anything. Now if they were the first humans and happen to be females in space then yes. From what I heard was the reason women do space walks before is because they didn't make EVA suits in their size. Women's build as everyone knows are smaller and the suit cost in the millions. People make gender too much of a big deal. That's why people can't get along the way they should.
This is awesome, and I don't get all the "so what?" comments....when did any of YOU go to space?
This has nothing to do with any one particular. As far as women they have been up there before. Just not in space walks because the suits were made for a bigger build for the men who were doing this way before women were. The suits cost millions.
Load More Replies...
Good Job ladies! Not sure why others on here are being negative. This might not be a big deal to you but it's history and pretty cool for little girls today to have role models like this.
If you don't thank politics is involved you're fooling yourself why all the focusing on the female astronauts lately I can tell you why its because the Democratic party has got this big push for females so what we need to do is get the Democrats on board to keep the tax dollars coming so you can keep your funding for NASA and maybe a mission to the Moon, the way the astronauts should be chosen for the mission to the Moon is like they did back in the 60s it should be a competition not just appointed to make a political statement, and I believe this is the second time you guys went out to change the batteries female astronaut would have done it in a single try and Koch and Jessica Meiris are going to be too old to be picked to land on the Moon!
I think thbeser women are pretty and kuinda cute nghl baby Im kinda catching feeling and also am pcute uwu [yhgesgyts
All Feminist should follow suit... like every single one of them. And stay
Are you against women being allowed to vote, to have a bank account in their own name, to study at university, to get a passport without a male guardian saying they allow it???
Load More Replies...
It was cool to listen and every voice was female. The woman in CAPCOM on the ground, the woman who was the NASA spokesperson.
Anyone know what the two women are holding in that final image? The silver gun-like things?
I believe it is some variant of type 3 phaser
Load More Replies...
Honestly I'm torn between, "Yay, awesome news!" 😁, and "Why the hell did it take more than 50 years?"🤬
and you forgot logic, maturity, intelligence, common sense and an ability for critical thinking.............................again
Load More Replies... Okay... women have been to space even died on space shuttle explosions together with men. How's this news again?
ok… but so what? woman goes in space too. it's not new. woman can do same job as men… why make a story about that? i Don't consider them different for doing that job. why consider woman as a little fragile animal and make a big fuss anytime they do Something like that? Don't you think it's making them appart even more?
I agree with you to be honest (I'm a woman)... all of this noise for two women that have already gone to space and taken space walks. But of course this time is different because they're going together, instead of going with men? Give me a break...
Load More Replies... This was planned a while ago, but was postponed after they found out they do not have EVA suits of the correct size. Yes, the first all-female EVA was postponed because women astronauts literally couldn't go outside like that, having nothing to wear.
I can't wait until this whole first woman, first black, first gay, first hispanic, first trans, first this, first that garbage is over. I'm so sick of hearing how we're all equal but then still have to hear all these firsts. Nobody cares!
It's pandering and condescending. This is making them sound like, 'Hey, aren't these two gals amazing? Let's hear it for these little ladies.' Why can't they just be two qualified astronauts performing a mission? That would be true equality. I'm cringing hard for these two. They don't deserve to be treated like this.
I love this, but I would suggest a title change. The url already has it, but the title on here says "Women Astronauts". Wouldn't female Astronauts be better? From my experience, "woman doctor" etc is often used to contrast the "normal" perception of the term "doctor" (as in male), sometimes mockingly. So it has a slightly derogatory connotation, therefore I suggest the "female" version as it is more neutral and scientific. May sound like nitpicking, but language shapes perception, so why not start here. :) (If I got this wrong, please correct me, non-native speaker here).
Don't mean to hurt any women's feelings. I'm glad they were able to do a space walk and enjoy the event, but this isn't anything new or anything. Now if they were the first humans and happen to be females in space then yes. From what I heard was the reason women do space walks before is because they didn't make EVA suits in their size. Women's build as everyone knows are smaller and the suit cost in the millions. People make gender too much of a big deal. That's why people can't get along the way they should.
This is awesome, and I don't get all the "so what?" comments....when did any of YOU go to space?
This has nothing to do with any one particular. As far as women they have been up there before. Just not in space walks because the suits were made for a bigger build for the men who were doing this way before women were. The suits cost millions.
Load More Replies... Good Job ladies! Not sure why others on here are being negative. This might not be a big deal to you but it's history and pretty cool for little girls today to have role models like this.
If you don't thank politics is involved you're fooling yourself why all the focusing on the female astronauts lately I can tell you why its because the Democratic party has got this big push for females so what we need to do is get the Democrats on board to keep the tax dollars coming so you can keep your funding for NASA and maybe a mission to the Moon, the way the astronauts should be chosen for the mission to the Moon is like they did back in the 60s it should be a competition not just appointed to make a political statement, and I believe this is the second time you guys went out to change the batteries female astronaut would have done it in a single try and Koch and Jessica Meiris are going to be too old to be picked to land on the Moon!
I think thbeser women are pretty and kuinda cute nghl baby Im kinda catching feeling and also am pcute uwu [yhgesgyts
All Feminist should follow suit... like every single one of them. And stay
Are you against women being allowed to vote, to have a bank account in their own name, to study at university, to get a passport without a male guardian saying they allow it???
Load More Replies... It was cool to listen and every voice was female. The woman in CAPCOM on the ground, the woman who was the NASA spokesperson.
Anyone know what the two women are holding in that final image? The silver gun-like things?
I believe it is some variant of type 3 phaser
Load More Replies... Honestly I'm torn between, "Yay, awesome news!" 😁, and "Why the hell did it take more than 50 years?"🤬
and you forgot logic, maturity, intelligence, common sense and an ability for critical thinking.............................again
Load More Replies... 
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