Space exploration “for all humankind”

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1. 

   Martin on February 3, 2020 at 10:58 am

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   Idea: Space exploration “for all humankind”

   Link: https://www.space.com/22252-women-astronau...

   There is a reason why women face discrimination in space – fortunately. And it isn’t a sexist conspiracy. From the article at: https://www.space.com/22252-women-astronauts-radiation-risk.html

   Both male and female astronauts are not allowed to accumulate a radiation dose that would increase their lifetime risk of developing fatal cancer by more than 3 percent. A six-month mission on the International Space Station exposes astronauts to about 40 times the average yearly dose of background radiation that a person would receive living on Earth, NASA spokesman William Jeffs said .

   While the level of risk allowed for both men and women in space is the same, women have a lower threshold for space radiation exposure than men, according to physiological models used by NASA.

   “Depending on when you fly a space mission, a female will fly only 45 to 50 percent of the missions that a male can fly,” Peggy Whitson, the former chief of NASA’s Astronaut Corps, said. “That’s a pretty confining limit in terms of opportunity. I know that they are scaling the risk to be the same! And it’s a sad situation for the female astronauts on the International Space Station they will probably be too old to be chosen for the mission to the Moon!

   Female Astronauts Face Discrimination from Space Radiation Concerns, Astronauts Say

   Link: https://www.space.com/22252-wome

   Female astronauts have fewer opportunities to fly in space because of lifetime radiation exposure restrictions, according to NASA astronauts. Read more here.

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