The crews of the first expeditions that will go to Mars should only be composed of women. They take up less space, eat less, consume oxygen and water, instead of which other payloads can be sent to Mars, according to a study by scientists from the European Space Agency, published in the journal scientific reports.
In 1959, American space medicine pioneers Brigadier General Don Flickinger and physician William Randolph Lovelace suggested that, from a practical point of view, it was better to send women into space – their size bodies are on average smaller, they consume less oxygen, they have fewer heart attacks, and the reproductive system is less exposed to radiation. However, global manned astronautics has taken a different path. To date, out of 339 American astronauts, only 55 are women; of 121 Russian and Soviet cosmonauts, only four flew.
However, this is due to the fact that at the International Space Station, thanks to the cargo missions that go there 7-8 times a year, resources are not lacking. “Beyond Earth orbit on missions like Artemis and Gateway to the lunar surface, resupply will become more difficult and a much bigger problem for exploration missions to targets like Mars,” the scientists say. ‘European Space Agency in a new study proving that the first crews to Mars should be made female.
In their study, scientists, based on data from people flying in space, estimated how much during a long expedition astronauts of different sexes would consume oxygen and water, emit carbon dioxide and heat.
They calculated that, on average, a woman in such a crew would need 26% fewer calories, 29% less oxygen, and 18% less water than a man.
Thus, for a mission of less than three years (1080 days), a crew of four women alone will need 1700 kg less food than for a male crew. And that mass is about 10% of the payload a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket can send to Mars. Instead of these products, it is better to send additional equipment and payloads to Mars.
“These data, together with the current trend toward smaller housing module diameters, indicate many potential advantages of all-female crews on future exploration missions,” the scientists said.
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