December 19, 2004
HATE SPEECH! HATE SPEECH!
Why women are better astronauts than men (James Reynolds , The Scotsman, December 18th, 2004)
If space scientists had known better at the time of the Apollo 11 moon landing in July 1969, the mission’s defining legacy might have read "one small step for a woman, one giant leap for womankind".New medical research has revealed that the mental and physical characteristics of women mean they are far better suited to long-term space travel than men. As a result, one medical expert has now claimed there is a very strong case for an all-female cosmonaut crew on the first mission to put humans on Mars.
William Rowe, a professor of medicine at the Medical College of Ohio in Toledo, in the United States, said: "A manned trip to the Red Planet should, in fact, be womanned."
Prof Rowe has published new research in the journal Mens Health and Gender, which focused on the hormonal and physical make-up of women under 30 years of age, and concludes that they are far better suited to long-term, long-distance travel than men.
Ok, let’s calm down and think this through. Maybe if we cede space to them we can take back business and government.
They neglected to investigate how well women work as a group.
My wife practically fell over laughing at the prospect of a bunch of women couped up together for that long.
It should also be noted that the other differences they cited are either relatively trivial, or excluded by thorough flight physicals.
Posted by: Jeff Guinn at December 19, 2004 12:10 PMWhat a strained, stupid opening paragraph. Apollo 11 was not a "long-term" mission. It was a weekend roadtrip, for which guys have spent decades perfecting all the proper skills. Just too bad that NASA didn't let them take along a six-pack or two.
Posted by: Raoul Ortega at December 19, 2004 2:08 PMIt wasn't a 6-pack, but at least Alan Shepard was able to sneak a 6-iron on Apollo 14.
Posted by: Foos at December 19, 2004 8:57 PMThe real reason men were used has to do with the ease of hooking up human plumbing to the suit plumbing. For reasons that should be obvious, it's easier and less intrusive for men than women.
Posted by: Annoying Old Guy at December 19, 2004 11:41 PMAOG:
That is one important reason. I also understand that spacesuits are phsyically difficult to work in.
Posted by: Jeff Guinn at December 20, 2004 11:53 AM