The first person who stepped on the Moon it was a man. In fact, the only 12 human beings who have traveled to our satellite so far were men, despite the fact that Valentina Tereshkova had already shown that female astronauts can also exist. Therefore, it was long ago decided that the next mission to the moon is mixed and that the next person to set foot on it is a woman. The same goes for the first trip to mars. already thought about women and people of color to be part of the crew and break with the discrimination they have suffered in the space race. However, according to a new study, it would be necessary to be even more drastic and resort to a crew made up exclusively of female astronauts.
But it is not just a matter of justice to redeem the past biases. It would be a decision based solely on science.
Moreover, this study is based on the pillars of other research carried out in the 1950s. At that time, it was estimated that female astronauts would be better suited to travel into space, perform the necessary jobs, and return as healthy as possible. Even so, none were chosen for the first trips. Will science be taken more into account this time?
Why are female astronauts better?
In the 50’s, the investigation concluded that female astronauts have smaller and lighter bodiesso that need fewer calories and oxygen. This would save resources for trips that, at that time, was practically a proof of concept. But things did not stop there. Their reproductive systems were thought to be more resistant to radiation so they could return to Earth. still fertile. We must not forget that while the ovaries are inside the body, the testicles are outside, so they are much more exposed.
In the new study that has just been carried out Fertility has not been taken into account, but the resource saving. Specifically, the energy consumption, oxygen expenditure, carbon dioxide release and water requirements of a group of men and women were analyzed. Thus, it was seen that, in the case of men, total energy expenditure increases by 30%, oxygen consumption by 60%, carbon dioxide production also by 60%, and water requirements by 17%.
Instead, the figures were much lower for female astronauts. Furthermore, they did not increase so suddenly as their size increased. In fact, if the average dimensions of men and women in the United States were taken into account, the latter would have a 41% reduction in nutritional requirements and oxygen production.
Will it be considered for trips to Mars?
Human beings have already traveled to the Moon. Only men have done it, but with many women on the technical teams that led them to our satellite. Getting back there, as safely as possible, is quite a challenge, but we are already on the way, especially since the Artemis program was launched.
However, humans they have never been to mars. The trip will be dangerous and something new, like when those calculations were made in the 50s. For this reason, this new study is especially interesting in view of this journey, in which resources must be optimized as much as possible. Does that mean that the first expedition to the red planet will be made up of only female astronauts? Possibly not. But at least now we know that, with science in hand, it would be the best option. At the very least, it’s something that should be considered.