Even in the much demanding and
tough field of space exploration women
have made tremendous contributions.
Most of these women went unnoticed even
though they played an important role in
the histor y of space exploration.
It has been shown that biologically a
female can do better in space
exploration. In the environment of space,
a woman, because of her nature, can
adapt to various factors such as heat,
spacecraft tremors etc better compared
to a man. A woman is less prone to space
radiations also. And a woman weighing
120 pounds consumes less oxygen
compared to a man of 160 pounds.
the lesser weight of women is itself a significant
advantage in the environment of space.
Men are also disadvantaged
because they retain much higher levels of
iron in the body than women, particularly
in space, and this can reach toxic levels.
Men in their thirties and forties are much
more likely to develop the first signs of heart
disease, a condition exacerbated by
space travel. Women are protected from
this by their comparatively high levels of
oestrogen.
Yet, there were several women who
never got a chance to enter into space
despite having passed the most stringent
of tests. In 1961, 13 women aviators were
extensively tested for their physical and
psychological tolerance to the then-
unknown rigors of space flight. The first
woman to go through the Mercur y 13
astronaut test was Jerrie Cobb. A 28-year-
old pilot, with three world records, and
7,000 hours of flying time, Jerrie Cobb had
ice water injected into her ears to test her
balance. She, as well as Wally Funk, were
the only women who successfully
completed the tests used for the original
seven Mercury astronauts. In spite of these
women completing all three of the
phases, and 11 other women completing
Phase I, they would never get the chance
to go into orbit.
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