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October 18, 2021

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All eyes on female astronaut

By Xu Qing and Larrissa Leung | 00:00 UTC+8 October 18, 2021 | Print Edition

Wang Yaping, 41, the first female astronaut to visit the Tiangong space station, had a lot to answer on social media about her six-month life in space. But one, in particular, made headlines.

What happens when she gets her periods?

Pang Zhihao, the national chief science communication expert on space exploration technology, told the CNS news agency that while research has shown that female astronauts will have normal menstruation in space, decompression sickness may restrict them from performing spacewalks during periods.

Tianzhou-3, a cargo spacecraft, carried her sanitary supplies and a few non-toxic cosmetics to the space station.

“Female astronauts will probably have a better psychological state wearing makeup,” said Pang.

What’s more, the space station has even prepared chocolate, desserts and other supplements in the event of heavy blood loss.

Other special preparations to ensure her comfort in space include: the seats in the spaceship and in-cabin space suits and even toilet seats have been adjusted for her comfort.

“Women have slender hands, so her gloves are tailor-made so that it’s more convenient for her to work with the equipment,” assured Pang.

However, Pang noted that the selection process and training for both male and female astronauts are the same because spaceflight missions are arduous.

“Astronauts need to meet high physical and emotional standards, so female astronauts will not be exempt from this expectation,” Pang said.

According to Pang, many empirical studies have found that female astronauts are well adapted for executing space missions, and in some respects have an advantage over their male counterparts, in qualities such as attention to detail, communication skills, and thinking comprehensively.

Furthermore, their metabolism for magnesium and levels of estrogen is higher than that of male astronauts, and with lower iron content, their bodies are more suitable for long-term space life. This precludes them from being prone to side effects like iron poisoning and thrombosis.

Pang expects that this expedition will see China’s first spacewalk by a female astronaut.

“This is not only an honor for us, but is also an opportunity for us to research the various advantages that female astronauts have when walking outside of the vehicle,” Pang said.

“Their generally smaller size is an advantage as they’ll be able to control their body better and thus perform a wider variety of tasks.”

Nation


 

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