When did female astronauts appear on the historical stage? What advantages do they have in exploring space?

In every manned space flight mission, female astronauts have performed outstandingly and successfully completed various tasks. However, the number of female astronauts is very small. Of course, this is due to the relative physical disadvantage of women, but the main reason is social prejudice.

In the early days of manned space flight, people were not optimistic about women flying into space. In 1960, the United States selected 13 astronauts from female pilots. They all passed the physical and psychological tests for the "Mercury 7" mission, but NASA terminated their training program because they were worried that they would fail in the mission and affect the training of male astronauts. Subsequently, the female astronauts went to Washington to plead to continue to participate in the program. However, at the hearing, both NASA officials and male astronauts believed that women's participation in the space program was not conducive to the future of space exploration.

The Soviet Union's Tereshkova carried out the first female space mission, which was also the product of the Soviet Union's competition with the United States. In the more than 50 years after she entered space, the Soviet Union/Russia trained a total of 19 female astronauts, but only three of them finally entered space.

Tereshkova, the world's first female astronaut

The harsh environment of space does not differ based on gender, nor does it lower the threshold for anyone, so the selection method, training content, methods and intensity of female astronauts are no different from those of male astronauts. Although there are many obstacles for female astronauts to enter space, their hard work and the objective needs of human space exploration provide opportunities for women to enter the special profession of astronauts.

In 1983, Ride participated in the STS-7 mission of the Challenger space shuttle, becoming the first American and the third female astronaut in the world to enter space. This flight also became a turning point for female astronauts to participate in space missions. NASA found that the unique advantages of female astronauts who have undergone rigorous training and successfully entered space will not only not reduce the efficiency of space work, but on the contrary can improve efficiency and reduce errors. Since then, the number of female astronauts entering space has increased rapidly, and the proportion of women in the US astronaut training center has also continued to grow, and they have occupied an increasingly important position in space missions.

Astronaut Sally Ride

Chinese female astronauts have also played an important role in manned space flight. Liu Yang and Wang Yaping joined the astronaut corps in 2010. They completed the knowledge equivalent to four years of university courses in less than two years, completed the extremely challenging training courses at the same time, and passed the extremely rigorous zero-error and zero-mistake training assessment. With the support of iron faith and perseverance, Liu Yang and Wang Yaping have mastered excellent skills and successfully carried out the "Shenzhou IX" and "Shenzhou X" flight missions respectively.

Chinese astronauts Liu Yang and Wang Yaping

Space exploration is full of risks and challenges. Humankind’s exploration of the universe is endless, and without female astronauts, space exploration is incomplete. And if we want to fully verify whether humans can really survive in space, we must conduct comprehensive exploration and research from both male and female perspectives.

In addition, compared with male astronauts, female astronauts have unique advantages in physiological structure and psychological quality. Women have lower blood pressure and peripheral vascular resistance than men, and faster heart rate, which makes it easier for women to adapt to the space environment. Studies have shown that after astronauts return to Earth from space, women are more likely to recover their ability to walk under gravity than men; when motion sickness occurs, women are more likely to recover than men. At the same time, female astronauts have stronger endurance and confidence, and are suitable for doing some delicate space science experiments that require great patience. They are dexterous and perform better in jobs that require fine operating skills. Furthermore, boring and monotonous space flight can easily make astronauts feel lonely. Female astronauts are more sensitive and delicate, consider problems more comprehensively, and have stronger language expression and communication skills. They can handle and solve problems well and actively adjust the atmosphere.

Astronaut Wang Yaping conducts extravehicular activity

In short, female astronauts are a key link in the road to manned space flight. Their participation has added bright colors to the cause of space exploration. More and more female astronauts entering space will also inspire more capable and qualified women to join the space industry.