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You could say it was a wardrobe malfunction that forced the cancellation of NASA's first ever all-female spacewalk.

In March of 2019, astronauts Ann McLean and Christina Cook

were planning to replace some old solar panel batteries on the International Space Station.

I probably don't have to tell you that it's a good idea to have a snug fit for your suit

when you go into space, not have it hang like a potato sack. Well, here's what happened.

NASA didn't have enough suits for the women. Both astronauts required a size medium, and there was

only one medium available. The spacewalk was scrubbed. Astronaut Anne McLean was replaced by

male astronaut Nick Haig, who did the walk with Christina Cook.

Believe me, observers took note.

The spacesuits was really interesting, I thought, because what happened there was such a good

example of how we treat the male average body as the average human body.

Of course, this embarrassing oversight for the agency was more than a wardrobe slip-up.

It was a result of default thinking.

All spacesuits are designed for men.

None take into account the difference in body shape between men and women

...