Study: Female Astronauts May Be More Resilient to Physical Toll of Spaceflight
Study: Female Astronauts May Be More Resilient to Physical Toll of Spaceflight
The Facts
New research analyzing the first all-civilian crew from SpaceX's three-day Inspiration4 mission has found that women may be better suited physiologically than men to endure the effects of flying to outer space.
New research published in Nature Communications, which analyzed the first all-civilian crew from SpaceX's three-day Inspiration4 mission, has found that women may be better suited physiologically than men to endure the effects of flying to outer space.
The Spin
Although NASA has scrubbed much of this data from the public record, women have proven equal to men on spaceflight physical exams for decades. This, combined with this vital data about the physical ability of female astronauts to endure and recover from the impacts of spaceflight, suggests that NASA and other spacefaring agencies would be wise to put women at the forefront of future human cosmic exploration.
Whether you're a man or a woman, becoming an astronaut is a grueling and arduous process. In virtually every case, this includes obtaining advanced college degrees, passing military physical fitness exams, becoming a military pilot, and racking up 1K flight hours. This is a very important study about physiological factors, but it's important to remember — for both female and male astronauts — that physical resilience is one of many characteristics of crewing the space voyages of the future.