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4 Women Astronauts Talk About Space Exploration

By Julie Bain
From Reader's Digest
See a slide show of the women, including in-space shots.

Peggy Whitson
Age: 48
Astronaut since: 1996
Space time: Two six-month tours on the International Space Station, in 2002 and 2007-2008

Imagine being in a confined space for six months with no easy means of escape and only a cosmonaut or two to keep you company. Peggy Whitson did it—twice, the second time as the first woman commander. The former Iowa farm girl racked up 377 days in space on her two missions, more than any other U.S. astronaut. Her space walks totaled nearly 40 hours, more than any other woman astronaut. She's now a walking laboratory for the long-term effects of zero gravity (zero-g) on the human body. And hers, by the way, is ripped like an Olympic athlete's.

Getting used to zero-g: "Finesse is a lot more important than strength. So is your ability to think in 3-D and intuit how to move objects in a different way than on earth. The second time I went to the station, it felt like coming home. I adapted and got comfortable much quicker."

The best zero-g side effect: "It's a nice plus that without the effects of gravity, everything is lifted while you're up there, so you look younger!"

Staying in shape: "With no gravity for resistance, muscles and bones deteriorate quickly up there, so every day we do an hour of cardio on a specially designed cycle or treadmill and an hour of resistance training. You need strength for space walks, as every motion works against the pressure of the space suits we wear, and it's very fatiguing. Exercising always made me feel more positive and upbeat afterward too."

Poetic moment: "As we orbited every 90 minutes, the view of the earth's curvature was incredible. You could see the layers of atmosphere extend beyond the surface to meet with the blackness of space beyond. It seemed impossibly thin, yet it carried all the shades of blue: closest to the planet a glowing blue, like sunlit water over white sand, extending to the deepest blue-purple mixture that holds the blackness at bay."

Returning to gravity: "At first, being back on earth is not pleasant. My agility and quick motions, like playing basketball and the timing to dribble and do a layup, were severely hindered. But I had my physical fitness assessment about a month after my return, and I'm back to preflight norm, which I'm really happy about."

Inspiration: "Exploration is a very important part of who we are, and if we want to literally expand our horizons, we have to keep doing it. Construction of the International Space Station shows we can expand those horizons culturally as well."

 


Pamela Melroy
Age: 47
Astronaut since: 1995
Space time: Three shuttle missions, in 2000, 2002, and 2007

After Pam Melroy flew the shuttle into a tricky backflip within 600 feet of the space station to photograph the belly of the craft for damage, she then performed the pinpoint-precision feat of docking it with the station. The retired Air Force test pilot (and combat veteran) and her crew came on board to shouts and hugs from Whitson and her crew. It was a historic moment: the first time two women were in charge of two spacecraft at the same time.

Melroy's mettle as commander was tested when, during deployment of a solar wing at the station, a guide wire snapped, tearing the wing and keeping it from providing full power. The world watched as fellow astronaut Scott Parazynski, MD, rode a boom for an hour and a half to reach the damaged area. He then performed a kind of delicate surgery for seven hours to cut the snagged wire and fix the torn parts. It worked.

On managing a crisis: "The night before the space walk to repair the solar wing, we were all gathered to go over the final list of issues. The whole crew was giving their input, and everyone was firing on all cylinders. I realized I didn't need to say anything. I kind of floated away and observed them. They were doing what they were supposed to do, pulling together, without needing to be guided in any way. That was the best moment for me."

On gender: "Twenty-five years ago, it would have been almost impossible to imagine that two women would be commanding two spacecraft at the same time. But Peggy and I just try to relax and have fun with it. The most important part for us is that we're good friends and we really enjoyed working together."

What she misses most: "The physical sensation of zero-g. It's magic. I do occasionally dream about it. It happens a lot within the first week or two of landing, and it can be profoundly disorienting, especially when you wake up and you're not sure where you are, in gravity or not. It is fun to go back and visit, though."

The value of the space station: "The immediate payoff is in industrial and medical applications from the sheer act of sending humans into this extremely hostile environment. The medium outcomes are working with other countries on long-term, complicated technological projects. We'll need that to go to Mars and the moon. Then the long-term payoff is the science of understanding how the human body operates in space and other developments that we may not understand or value till later."

 


Sunita Williams
Age: 43
Astronaut since: 1998
Space time: Six months on the space station in 2006-2007, including more than 29 hours of space walks

With her 195 days in space, Suni Williams broke Shannon Lucid's previous endurance record-until Peggy Whitson broke both women's records this year. Williams, a naval aviator and test pilot who grew up in the Boston area, also "ran" the Boston Marathon from the station treadmill, with an unofficial time of 4 hours and 24 minutes (during which the International Space Station orbited the earth about three times).

On being a rookie: "Yes, it's unusual to stay in space for six months on a first flight. And yes, it's a little shift that you're going to be locked in a can with a couple of guys. But I embraced the idea. I mean, I prepared for almost eight years! All the training was definitely beneficial for living up there. And with my Navy background, I'd gone on deployments before, so I wasn't worried about leaving home for six months. The cosmonauts were very professional, and we all had mutual respect and understanding."

Flying versus walking: "I learned after about a week how to fly gracefully without going too fast or jerking around. I had a hard time remembering how to walk. I prefer flying!"

Daily exercise: "The treadmill harness is a little uncomfortable and takes some getting used to. I really like running outside and having the wind blow on you, even if it's hot and humid like in Houston. But I got into a routine. If you're healthy, your body can adapt to anything."

Her haircut: "Long hair can be troublesome in space. It sticks to everything, and I didn't want to have my hair floating all around the space station. So I decided to cut it as we were preparing to dock.

"I've had some friends who've had cancer and had to go through chemo. I know how traumatic that is, so I thought the least I could do was donate my hair. A friend's 12-year-old daughter had given her own hair to Locks of Love. So I put my hair in a plastic bag, sent it home on the space shuttle, and asked that someone give it to her. She donated it for me."

Tranquil view: "When you have that perspective of being far away and looking back at the planet, you don't see the hustle and bustle or the borders. You see a very peaceful place. Gandhi tried to instill the feeling of oneness in all of us. Seeing our planet from space, you understand that."


Barbara Morgan
Age: 56
Astronaut since: 1985
Space time: One shuttle mission in 2007

Biology teacher Barbara Morgan waited a long time for her shuttle mission: 21 years. Originally chosen as a backup for the NASA Teacher in Space Program in the 1980s, she trained with Christa McAuliffe before the tragic Challenger accident in 1986. Afterward, Morgan returned to teaching elementary school in Idaho but remained hopeful that, as NASA's Teacher in Space Designee, she'd get to fulfill McAuliffe's mission someday. Finally, in August of 2007, she blasted off in the shuttle Endeavour for a 13-day mission, even operating the space station's robotic arms during space walks. Although a worrisome puncture in the heat shield diverted some of the crew's attention for a while, Morgan was able to teach lessons via onboard video about life in space. She left NASA in August this year to become an educator at Boise State University in Idaho.

The biggest surprise: "No matter how I was situated the first day, my body felt like it was upside down. That might've been because all your fluids shift up to your head. And what memory do we have of being in that situation? It's like when we're kids, hanging upside down."

Another surprise: "I slept really well, even on the first night. On earth, when my mind is going, it's hard to relax and go to sleep. But I was amazed on orbit because the minute I strapped myself in, I fell asleep right away. The next thing I knew, I was waking up to the alarm."

The power of food: "Food gave us teachable moments to show Newton's laws and properties of liquids. It was fun. My favorite thing to eat was beef Stroganoff. The Russians shared some of their beef and lamb dishes, caviar, and cheeses, and that was very nice."

Gut reactions: "I found that for the first couple of days, I was staying hydrated and I wasn't very hungry. My gastrointestinal system seems to rely on gravity to a certain extent, and it sort of shut down. But the body adjusts."

Bodily functions: "Kids always want to know about the toilet. It looks similar to what we have on earth, but there are bars you put over your thighs to hold yourself down, and it uses fans that pull body waste away. There's a hose with a personal funnel attachment for male or female anatomy. The trick is to keep it tightly sealed so that things don't get away and float around. When we get asked 'How do you go to the bathroom?' the answer is 'Very carefully.'"



What NASA'S Done for you Lately
Technologies and materials invented or developed in the space program have led to a host of things we use every day. Without NASA, we might not have:


Comments :
By hlxldb, 10/18/2008, 8:30 AM EDT

Nice!I love it!

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