Space for Women

In mid-September, twelve female nurses embarked upon a five-week routine of pedaling, dieting, spinning and bed rest at NASA'S Ames Research Center in California. They patiently endured such triumphs of technology as electronic heart monitors tucked into their bras and pill-sized sensors that transmitted temperature data from the vagina by way of a "bio-belt" worn around the waist. The experiment was designed to find out whether weightlessness and re-entry forces like those experienced by astronauts affect females more severely than males. To the delight of the test subjects--and of NASA critics who have charged discrimination in the selection of astronauts--the space agency announced last week that the results were "approximately the same for this group as in previous all-male groups."

NASA has traditionally chosen its spacemen from the ranks of test pilots in top physical condition. As it moves into the age of the space shuttle, which will make less strenuous physical demands upon passengers, the agency is now contemplating relaxing its medical requirements so that it will be able to send more people into space. Of the women subjects, all were single, and all were Air Force flight nurses between 24 and 34 years of age. The only strict requirement was made to preserve body-chemistry balance: none of the nurses were permitted to use the Pill for 90 days before testing.

For the first two weeks of the program, the nurses were examined to determine their normal metabolic characteristics. Then eight of them were put to bed for two weeks while four, selected as controls, remained ambulatory. Those on bed rest had to remain horizontal at all times, except during meals when they could rest on one elbow. Diet was carefully controlled and such foods as vanilla, bananas, pineapple, coffee and tea--all of which contain chemicals that might interfere with interpretations of physiological reactions--were forbidden. Boredom was relieved by TV, stereo, books and, according to a NASA press release, "a lot of needlework by the participants."

A prime concern of the experimenters was the effect of weightlessness on the circulatory system, particularly the tendency of the heart to grow "lazy" in space. Thus after bedrest, which is intended to simulate zero gravity, the adaptability of the nurses' circulatory system was tested by placing a bag tightly around the lower body and pumping the air out. This created a partial vacuum, which tends to concentrate the blood in the lower part of the body and to create the effects of gravity on astronauts who have just returned to earth. The bed rest was also followed by placing the women in a centrifuge and whirling them at three Gs for as long as they could endure it; that simulated reentry. They also rode bicycle trainers as long as possible to determine their oxygen intake. The results of the tests have shown NASA that women can make space flights. Encouraged by this success, the doctors plan to broaden their program to include prospective passengers 40 to 60 years of age.

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