The Future of Space Travel May be Female

Written by Madison Dooley 

“We have no present plans to include women on space flights,” was the response Linda Halpern received from NASA in 1962 when seeking advice as a schoolgirl on how to become an astronaut. 

One year later, Valentina Tereshkova was being launched on Vostok 6, and into the history books as the 1st woman to travel to space. Since, Helen Sharman became the first British citizen to go to space in 1991 and Peggy Whitson has spent more time in space than any other American astronaut. Today, the percentage of female astronauts stands at 11%. 

Female pioneers have propelled space exploration to its current position despite the despondency a young Linda Halpern was likely to have felt in 1962. The future of space travel, however, is set to be more female than ever before. So, what has caused such a radical shift to occur in just over 60 years? 

A pivotal understanding is efficiency. Mars is set to be of fundamental importance for scientific and technological advancement, therefore longer-term space travel is on the cards. NASA is planning for astronauts to have landed on the surface of Mars by 2040, a tough endeavour that will require as much efficiency in terms of space, resources, and weight as possible. Researchers from the European Space Agency discovered female astronauts consumed less oxygen, water, and food than their male counterparts. Life support resources required for female astronauts when contrasted to male astronauts of comparable stature were lower, making the female body type most efficient. 

This resource efficiency also eases the pressure on ensuring the spacecraft is as light as possible. With women on average smaller than men, workspaces could be designed more compact with no difference in the operation. Shorter women would supply the largest improvement. The larger and heavier the spacecraft, the more fuel is required to propel it into the air, therefore the larger the cost. In fact, the saving in fuel, space required, and life support resources would significantly reduce the expenditure of the mission. An all-four female crew on a 1080-day mission would save $158 million in food costs alone.

Whilst an all-female crew would be operationally beneficial, the diversity of a mixed crew can influence the success of the team. Mixed crews better solved challenges and provided wider perspectives during missions. The trip to Mars would incur large periods away from Earth in a confined space with the same crew members in close proximity. Cohesion is vital for the success of the trip. Whilst diverse crews may require more effort initially to overcome and understand their differences, long term the success of the mission is enhanced through varied solutions to problems and a reduced likelihood of groupthink.

Furthermore, research conducted in space is directly informing our understanding of life on Earth. Space adaptation has subtle differences between the genders, male astronauts commonly experience problems with hearing and vision back on earth whilst female astronauts struggle to manage their blood pressure. Studying these differences and why they occur will advance our understanding of human health. Sectors including the environment, healthcare, transportation, and information technology have all benefited from the work conducted in space. Failure to represent women in space is a failure to represent women back on earth. 

Whilst there will never be an ‘ideal crew’, the benefits of incorporating female astronauts into the space program are clear. 2024 is set to be a big year with NASA’s Artemis missions planning on landing the first woman on the moon. Whilst we watch expectantly as the mission unfolds, let us hope the next generation of female astronauts are also watching. As Sally Ride, the first US woman to go to space quoted, ‘You can’t be what you can’t see’.