Why do female astronauts take birth control pills before going into space? How to solve physiological problems?

Tech 2023-10-19 21:55:35 Source: Network

followWen | Long winded XiangziEditor | Long winded XiangziprefaceIn 1961, the first female astronaut of the Soviet Union, Valentina Tereshkova, entered space, which was also the world's first female astronaut.Despite this, there are still very few female astronauts after Tereshkova,Is it just because of the difference in physical strength between men and women?However, during training, the intensity of training is the same for both sides,In addition, many female astronauts take birth control pills during flight missions

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Wen | Long winded Xiangzi

Editor | Long winded Xiangzi

preface

In 1961, the first female astronaut of the Soviet Union, Valentina Tereshkova, entered space, which was also the world's first female astronaut.

Despite this, there are still very few female astronauts after Tereshkova,Is it just because of the difference in physical strength between men and women?

However, during training, the intensity of training is the same for both sides,In addition, many female astronauts take birth control pills during flight missions. What's the matter?

Female Astronauts

In the last century, when the Soviet Union and the United States sent humans into space,The selected astronauts were all male, Gagarin and Alan Shepard, two historic astronauts who embarked on the great journey of human conquest of space.

Alan Shepard

In the following years, hundreds of astronauts entered space, but only a very small proportion were women, which often led to the idea that women were not as suitable for space as men.

As early as the 1960s,The United States has selected 13 female astronauts to participate in a space project called the Mercury Project,This group of female astronauts are outstanding candidates selected from the air force through layers of selection.

Not only did they completely surpass their male counterparts in physical and intellectual tests, but they were also more suitable for traveling in narrow spacecraft due to their short stature. They had already been confirmed as one of the first space candidates in the United States, but were later completely eliminated.

The reasons for the delisting of 13 female astronauts,On the one hand, it was the stereotype in American society at that time that women were inherently unsuitable for space, and on the other hand, it was also related to the fact that the Soviet Union's first astronaut, Gagarin, was a male.

Gagarin

Despite previous test results proving that female astronauts have an advantage, NASA still chose male astronauts to enter space under political and social pressure.

Until 1963,After the Soviet Union's groundbreaking mission of sending Valentina Tereshkova into space,Female Astronauts

Tereshkova, Valentina

In fact, Jereshkova fully demonstrated that women can perfectly adapt to space conditions, but due to various historical limitations, few women truly entered space in the following years.

As we enter the 21st century, with the increasing awareness of gender equality, the situation is gradually changing,Female Astronauts

The inconvenience of astronauts in space

In fact, during the "Mercury Project" in the United States, those female astronauts underwent rigorous physical examinations and tests,They are believed to have the ability to enter space and have undergone two years of intensive training with male astronauts, including flight technology, scientific experiments, and space adaptability training.

The Space Dream of a Female Astronaut on Mercury 13

One important reason for their replacement is the concern that the physiological period of female astronauts may not be able to be successfully discharged in the harsh environment of space,This may lead to serious problems such as excessive blood loss and inflammation.

At that time, the scientific understanding of women's physiological period was very limited. An American female astronaut commented, "My country and culture are not yet ready to allow women to enter space!" These female astronauts felt extremely sorry for their missed opportunity.

However, later on, after observation and research by the Soviet Union and the United States on the first batch of female astronauts,It was discovered that women's menstrual cycle has little to do with the space environment.

Menstruation is a process of periodic shedding of the endometrium, unrelated to blood circulation, and does not cause problems due to weightlessness. When the Soviet Union successfully sent the first female astronaut, Tereshkova, into space, the Soviet Union discovered her physical condition, which also confirmed this.

Nevertheless, menstruation still brings some inconvenience to female astronauts,The space and material storage capacity inside the spacecraft are very limited,There is no specialized equipment for handling blood containing urine.

Female astronauts can only handle their menstrual periods separately through diapers and other methods, which will generate additional garbage. In long-term space missions, this undoubtedly increases the mental pressure of female astronauts.

In fact, compared to menstruation, daily life such as bathing and going to the bathroom in space is more difficult for all astronauts,In a weightless environment, water is very easy to suspend into droplets, which can lead to serious accidents.

Once, a foreign astronaut experimented with directly absorbing water from a straw in a space capsule, but the water rushed out of the bottle at high speed and all of it stuck to his face. This was because water droplets had a strong stickiness, and once they stuck to the face and nose, they quickly blocked the respiratory tract.

Due to the danger of taking a shower, astronauts can only use a wet towel for simple cleaning. Shower equipment is installed in Skylab in the United States, but this washing method is still not simple,Astronauts mainly focus on scrubbing.

In terms of toileting, in early space life, astronauts needed to use simple collection bags, which were very unhygienic and uncomfortable.

Although the space toilet was later invented, its use process was also extremely complex,A slight carelessness may cause feces and urine to contaminate the cabin, which poses a great challenge to the physical and mental health of all astronauts.

From this, it can be seen that although female astronauts face special menstrual problems, the space environment has a significant impact on the daily lives of all astronauts.

Physical injury of astronauts

However, entering space is not only an inconvenience in daily life,After entering space, people's bodies may experience some damage.

Liu Yang is the first female astronaut in China to fly into space. In 2012, the Shenzhou-9 manned spacecraft sent her into space, embarking on a 12 day mission.

Liu Yang, China's First Astronaut to Go into Space

After the spacecraft returned, Liu Yang experienced significant facial swelling and increased intracranial pressure,The upper limbs have significantly thickened,This is caused by a long-term weightlessness environment.

In a weightless state, blood and tissue fluid will gather towards the head, causing swelling of the face and head. At the same time, muscles and bones are also in a weak state, which is very easy to cause osteoporosis. After the spacecraft returns, Liu Yang needs to use a wheelchair to move and cannot stand and walk on his own.

Liu Yang

Many astronauts, after conducting long-term space missions,When returning to Earth, they are unable to walk on their own and need to be lifted off the spaceship.

This is because in space, muscles are in a relaxed state for a long time and no longer bear the pull of gravity. Over time, muscles begin to atrophy, and bones also undergo changes. Their height may be several centimeters higher than on the ground. Once they return to Earth, muscles and bones need time to adapt to the gravity environment.

Liu Yang

In addition to musculoskeletal problems, changes in blood flow also cause trouble for astronauts,In a weightless environment, blood flows down the body,After landing, blood suddenly surges down, which may cause dizziness or even temporary shock.

This is just one of them. NASA astronaut Scott Kelly experienced changes in gene expression after six months of space life, which may affect metabolism and immune systems.

Visual impairment is another challenge faced by astronauts,The eyeball undergoes deformation in the space environment,Some astronauts even experience significant visual impairment in a short period of time.

In addition to physiological issues, the psychological state of astronauts is also easily affected by the space environment. Leaving Earth means long-term isolation from family and friends, which may lead to psychological problems such as depression and anxiety.

Do female astronauts have to take contraceptive pills before takeoff?

At that time, the Soviet Union successfully sent the world's first female astronaut, Tereshkova, into space,In order to ensure that Tereshkova did not menstruate during her flight, the Soviet Union took an extremely secretive measure - allowing Tereshkova to take contraceptive pills to adjust her menstrual cycle.

Nowadays, some girls who are about to participate in the college entrance examination are afraid of the impact of menstruation and may take contraceptives in advance to delay menstruation, which is also an unavoidable issue.

When the construction of the International Space Station is completed, the activity space for female astronauts has become wider,The space station can receive regular supplies,The execution time of female astronauts' missions can therefore be extended to more than 3 months.

But long-term missions meant frequent changes in diapers, so female astronauts in the United States began to follow the example of the Soviet Union and chose to take birth control pills to suppress menstruation,Contraceptives can cause harm to women's bodies, but there are still female astronauts taking such medications.

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