Analysis: In NASA’s spacesuit saga, women see their own stories
Photos of NASA Astronauts Anne C. McClain , left, and Christina Hammock Koch. By Jena McGregor Jena McGregor Reporter covering leadership issues in the headlines Email Bio Follow March 28 at 7:13 PM A spacesuit may not look much like what most women wear to work.
“I work in an ambulance, where everything from the driver’s seat to the latch on the cot is made for your average sized man,” tweeted one woman based in Canada. “I know this intimately, and felt an angry pit of experiential empathy in my stomach when I heard about this spacewalk cancellation.” “I can almost hear the tired sighs of every woman who has ever attended a science conference and asked for a T-shirt that fits,” said one female astrophysicist on Twitter.
— Catherine Q. March 26, 2019 In the Q&A, NASA explained that McClain had trained in both medium- and large-size suits before leaving for the Space Station, and had planned to wear the large during the historic moment. But after a March 22 spacewalk, she realized the medium was the better fit, and changed plans for safety reasons and to prevent delays, NASA said. While another medium torso piece was on board, it would have taken at least 12 hours to configure it for space.
Even some observers who said they understood the nuances of the decision shared how familiar the story felt to them. One Twitter user said she understood the decision was about more than bias, but"it still gave me the same sinking feeling that I’ve gotten every time a job didn’t have enough small uniforms in stock and I got stuck working in clothes 3+ sizes too big.”
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