{"id":18106,"date":"2019-03-29T20:33:57","date_gmt":"2019-03-29T12:33:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-productionenv-bjg9h2g2bgg5b8aa.southeastasia-01.azurewebsites.net\/news\/astronauts-male-and-female-hook-up-batteries-during-not-so-historic-spacewalk\/"},"modified":"2019-03-29T20:33:57","modified_gmt":"2019-03-29T12:33:57","slug":"astronauts-male-and-female-hook-up-batteries-during-not-so-historic-spacewalk","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/news\/astronauts-male-and-female-hook-up-batteries-during-not-so-historic-spacewalk\/","title":{"rendered":"Astronauts (male and female) hook up batteries during not-so-historic spacewalk"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Space
NASA astronaut Anne McClain floats between spacewalkers Christina Koch and Nick Hague in advance of today\u2019s spacewalk. (NASA Photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Today\u2019s spacewalk at the International Space Station wasn\u2019t as historic as it was originally meant to be, but it got the job done nevertheless.<\/p>\n

NASA astronauts Nick Hague and Christina Koch connected a set of three lithium-ion batteries on a pair of the station\u2019s solar arrays, replacing a set of six older, less powerful nickel-hydrogen batteries.<\/p>\n

The six-hour, 45-minute outing followed up on a spacewalk that Hague and NASA crewmate Anne McClain conducted last week to swap out a similar set of batteries. It turns out that one of those newly installed batteries hasn\u2019t been charging properly. To remedy the situation, Hague and Koch did some set-up work that will make it possible for two of the nickel-hydrogen batteries to take its place. That part of the job will be completed using the station\u2019s robotic arm.<\/p>\n

Originally, NASA planned to have Koch and McClain take on today\u2019s extravehicular tasks. That would have made it the first all-female spacewalk in history. Women have gone on spacewalks many times before, dating back to 1984, but always in the company of men.<\/p>\n

A spacesuit sizing issue led to a change in plan. After last week\u2019s outing, McClain decided she\u2019d be more comfortable and safer in a medium-size spacesuit torso rather than a large-size torso \u2014 but only one medium-size item had been readied for today\u2019s spacewalk.<\/p>\n

That led NASA to shift the lineup, pairing Koch (and the medium-size spacesuit torso) with Hague instead of McClain. NASA explained the rationale in a tweet:<\/p>\n