The first all-female astronaut spacewalk since 2019 has been delayed due to a coolant leak outside the International Space Station (ISS). NASA astronauts Loral O'Hara and Andreas Mogensen were scheduled to conduct the spacewalk this week but will now wait until later this year. The coolant leak, which occurred on the ISS's Nauka module, is not toxic or hazardous to the crew but has prompted engineers to assess the conditions outside the station. This spacewalk, which will involve collecting microorganisms, will be the fourth in history with an all-female crew. Another spacewalk, also involving O'Hara, has been rescheduled for October 30.
The debate over whether future Mars missions should have all-female crews has been reignited, with some experts arguing that an all-female crew would consume fewer resources than an all-male crew, making the long-distance journey to Mars more efficient. However, others say that diversity is key to a mission's success and that a diverse crew would ultimately perform better. While some studies have found that women occupy less space and consume lower amounts of life-support resources than men do, experts caution that numbers may not tell the whole story and that the focus should be on the numerous other skills of each individual and how the group operates as a whole.
A new study by the European Space Agency suggests that the first human mission to Mars should be an all-female crew as they are more efficient in space. The study found that women use less oxygen, produce less carbon dioxide, and require less food than men. The researchers simulated a 1080-day mission with four women astronauts and found they needed 3,736 pounds less food, saving more than $158 million. NASA is set to launch a human mission to Mars in the 2030s and is determined to put the first female astronaut on the moon in two years.
