Why women cosmonauts are better than men: NASA does not rule out a purely female mission to Mars

Very soon, and possibly in the next 10-15 years, when the long-awaited flight to Mars takes place, we will be able to observe the triumph of women in space. In a recent interview, Margaret Witekamp, an astronautist, said she did not rule out a female mission to the Red Planet. According to her, women astronauts have a number of advantages compared to men, so their long-distance departure seems to be the most rational solution. Some NASA engineers agree with her. But what, according to scientists, is the fundamental difference between men and women who conquer space?

To begin with, all countries with a long space history sent primarily men to space. And only after some time there were representatives of the fair sex, the first of which was Valentina Tereshkova. But the idea of sending men in the initial stages of space exploration was indeed more appropriate. Men have greater strength and endurance, and in space, when equipment can malfunction, and emergency situations may require the direct application of physical force, these qualities played an important role. But even despite the fact that space flights have long become a familiar thing, women are still much fewer astronauts than men. And such a trend can be seen in all countries leading their space programs. This is partly due to subjective reasons that have no relation to reality. Many countries still continue to believe that space is the destiny of men. But a number of NASA experts strongly disagree with this, and this is how these people argue their point of view.

Valentina Tereshkova

Psychological adaptation

Scientists believe that men are more suited specifically for short-term programs that require maximum concentration of effort in a relatively short period of time. While women are able to transfer a longer flight and stay in isolation, which is necessary for the mission to Mars.

Health problems

It is noted that the body of women and men reacts differently to being in space. For example, men more often than their female counterparts suffer from hearing and visual impairment under the influence of overload and being in zero gravity.

Less weight

Even a physically strong and hardy female astronaut, as a rule, has less weight than men. This circumstance, perhaps, is not so important if you are flying to low Earth orbit, but a long-term mission to another planet is a completely different matter. Lighter weight means lower costs for everything related to providing physiological needs during the flight, from nutrition to the required amount of oxygen. For example, the difference in required calories reaches 15-25%. This in turn affects the volume of fuel and material costs, which plays a crucial role in such expensive projects.