(Editor’s Note: This story is a follow up to a story posted 10/29/2015. How Will Women In Space Survive Without Makeup Or Men?)
As it turns out, the six women who spent eight days stuck together in a space simulation didn’t really miss makeup OR men.
They did, however, like normal human beings miss their family and loved ones. That actually means technically some of them did miss men, but not because they needed a knight in shining armor to rescue them, but rather because they have human emotions that causes them to miss significant others.
The all-female team made Russian history last week when they entered the grounded space capsule to see if they could handle the stress and schedule of an actual trip to the moon. The women were responsible for conducting several experiments during their eight day trip, and they were all monitored by psychologists to see how they handled the stress and isolation.
However, during the press conference that took place before the women entered the capsule, they were asked weirdly sexist questions about how they expected to live for eight days without makeup, showers, or men.
To which team leader Yelena Luchnitskaya responded, “I’m sure we all have the education, personal qualities and the upbringing, at the end of the day. So far I can’t imagine what would rattle us.”
The director of the Institute of Biomedical Problems in Moscow, where the test was conducted, also noted his concern about six women getting along in a confined space, with a classy comment about “they say that in one kitchen, two housewives find it hard to live together.”
The women, a combination of doctors and scientists, agreed the hardest part was not knowing what was going on at home. They weren’t allowed to communicate with anyone but the command crew. The press conference did highlight the stark differences between the questions–and arguably the faith in their professional abilities–that men are asked as opposed to women.
“To those who said we’d end up ripping each other’s hair out: we didn’t even come close to that,” said participant Daria Komissarov.
(Editor’s Note: Imagine that. A team of professional women all working together just as well–if not better–than an all male team. It’s almost like we’re all human or something.)
Let’s be real. The key to a successful space mission is not about men or women. It’s about people with the correct skill set and the perfect temperament to be locked in a small space for a long period of time.
This experiment was actually one of two that Russia has conducted where they isolate a team of potential cosmonauts. The first test involved isolating a team of six men for 500 days to simulate a trip to Mars.
Filed Under: Aerospace + defense
