NASA Cancels First All-Female Spacewalk Because It Doesn't Have 2 Medium-Size Spacesuits

History was set to be made on Friday when NASA planned to send two astronauts on the first-ever all-female spacewalk, but a simple wardrobe issue grounded the plans for the high-tech achievement.

It turns out that NASA had only one medium-size spacesuit available and both of the astronauts require that size, Space.com noted.

Anne McClain and Christina Koch were scheduled to conduct the spacewalk together. But things changed when International Space Station mission managers switched learned that both women needed spacesuits in medium, but only would be available by Frida.

Koch will get the suit, NASA said in a statement, accompanied by a male astronaut, NASA's Nick Hague. McClain will stay inside the orbiting lab. 

"When you have the option of just switching the people, the mission becomes more important than a cool milestone," NASA spokeswoman Stephanie Schierholz told The New York Times.

NPR pointed out that this has been a longstanding issue that surfaced in 2006, when a report suggested women's opportunities within the space agency was limited somewhat by the sizing of spacesuits, which only came in medium, large and extra large.

At the time, veteran spacewalker Mike Fincke noted that any astronauts on the smaller side "will not be able to have a chance to go outside."

In the report, astronaut veteran Bonnie Dunbar remarked on how such a seemingly minor issue could hamper future careers.

"I do not want to turn to a young girl who has all the talent in the world, becomes an extraordinary engineer, but isn't the right size, to tell her, 'I'm sorry but our nation can't build a suit for you,'" Dunbar said, reports NPR. "It's not the biggest expenditure. And it's not an engineering challenge that can't be overcome."

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