NASA has released a statement that the first all-women expedition in space is set to leave at the end of this month. This historic event is set to make a mark on the celebration of the Women's Month.
Svetlana Savitskaya, a Soviet cosmonaut was the first woman who walked in space on July 25, 1984. Axios, however, said that the first woman in space was actually Sally Ride. She was the first woman who flew with the Challenger, the space shuttle launched in 1983.
After more than twenty years, on March 29, 2019, another history will be made for women by women. NASA astronauts Anne McClain and Christina Koch will be conducting their own space walks as part of the all-women crew of Expedition 59 at the International Space Station (ISS).
A Canadian Space Agency controller by the name of Kristen Facciol will be doing the expedition with them at the console in the Johnson Space Centre in Houston of NASA. Facciol couldn't contain her excitement and it is evident in her tweet.
She wrote, "I just found out that I'll be on console providing support for the FIRST ALL FEMALE SPACEWALK with @AstroAnnimal and @Astro_Christina and I can not contain my excitement!!!!."
It is with great pleasure that Facciol finds herself working with two other women astronauts in this historical event. A spokesperson for NASA confirmed this all-female spacewalk. He clarified that this expedition is part of three operations that are scheduled to be carried out once the ISS is able to complement six of its astronauts. The spokesperson said that although it is "cool" to have an all-women crew, it was not orchestrated to be carried out like this.
He further added that this particular spacewalk to be launched on Women's month will focus on the immediate replacement of the batteries. It has been said that spacewalk expeditions are rare and that usually, they are carried out to address mechanical repairs in ISS that needed immediate action. Sometimes, spacewalks are conducted for observation.
It remains unknown how long the spacewalk will last, but as of the record, most spacewalks take about five to eight hours. This may be the first of its kind and this particular circumstance makes the spacewalk even more special. Women astronauts from NASA will be making history and for whatever purpose it may serve, it is for the future to remember.
