CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — After a six-year wait due to a spacesuit sizing issue, NASA astronaut Anne McClain finally accomplished a spacewalk Thursday, fulfilling a long-anticipated goal. Paired with Nichole Ayers, McClain ventured outside the International Space Station after launching to the lab in March to substitute for two fellow NASA astronauts who have since returned to Earth.
Just before beginning the spacewalk, McClain observed some loose strings on the index finger of her right glove. This prompted a brief delay as Mission Control verified the glove’s security. During their nearly six-hour mission outside the station, McClain and Ayers prepped the outpost for new solar panels and repositioned an antenna on the station, which orbits 260 miles (approximately 420 kilometers) above Earth. Japanese astronaut Takuya Onishi, the station’s commander, warmly greeted them on their return.
“We’re so pleased to have you back, and dinner is ready, so you don’t need to worry,” Onishi assured them. To sidestep space debris from a 20-year-old Chinese rocket, the space station had been raised slightly higher just the evening before.
Army Colonel and helicopter pilot McClain was slated to be part of the first all-female spacewalk in 2019, but a shortage in medium-sized suits precluded her participation at that time. The historical first all-women spacewalk saw Christina Koch and Jessica Meir take prominence. McClain’s latest spacewalk marks the fifth such all-female venture in six decades of space exploration.
Looking ahead, Koch is set to become the first woman to orbit the moon. She, along with three male crew members, will partake in NASA’s Artemis program, which promises a new era of lunar exploration next year.
While women’s presence in NASA’s astronaut ranks is increasing, men still form the majority. Out of 47 active NASA astronauts, only 20 are women. Among the seven astronauts inhabiting the space station, McClain and Ayers are the sole female astronauts at present. This spacewalk was Ayers’s first, having previously served as an Air Force major and fighter pilot, while it was McClain’s third mission outside the station.