Why do NASA female astronauts have shorter terms than males?
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Nowadays, when gender equality is strongly called for, compliance is strictly required for larger organizations, but in fact, NASA regulations set the period during which female astronauts can stay in space shorter than that for male astronauts. .. Live Science, a science news site, explains where the difference between men and women during this space stay comes from.
Why does NASA let male astronauts stay in space longer than females? | Live Science
https://www.livescience.com/why-astronauts-radiation-levels
Radiation generated by the activity of the sun and supernova explosions is flying in outer space. Such radiation is not a major problem as long as it is on Earth, as it is protected by the Earth's magnetic field and atmosphere, but it is thought to increase the incidence of cancer for astronauts in outer space.
The difference between men and women during NASA's stay in space is also due to the radiation flying through space. In 1989, NASA carried out a mission in outer space, based on a cancer risk calculation obtained from research on Japanese atomic bomb victims, 'unless the probability of death from radiation in space reaching 3%. I have set a rule that 'I can do it.'
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The study that underpinned this rule concluded that 'the risk of death depends on age and gender, even when exposed to the same amount of radiation.' For a 30-year-old woman who is most vulnerable to radiation, the maximum radiation exposure allowed throughout the astronaut's career is 180 millisieverts. For the most radiation-resistant 60-year-old man, up to 700 millisieverts is acceptable.
When asked why gender resistance is so different, Julian Preston, who works in the radiation protection department of the United States Environmental Protection Agency, said, 'Women's lungs when women and men are exposed to the same amount of radiation during the same period. The incidence of cancer is about twice that of men. '' Women are particularly vulnerable to ionizing radiation, especially in lung cancer, according to a study of survivors of atomic bomb victims in Japan. It seems. '
However, NASA has begun to consider revising the rules regarding radiation exposure from 2021, and the new rule plans to set the upper limit of radiation exposure to 600 millisieverts regardless of age and gender. 600mA is equivalent to the amount of radiation you receive when you stay on the International Space Station (ISS) four times for six months.
by NASA Johnson
In addition, in the case of long-term missions such as Mars manned flight, an exception clause such as allowing an upper limit of 900 millisieverts is being considered. However, Live Science mentions that this upper limit of 900 millisieverts is also shorter than the upper limit of '1000 millisieverts' set by the EU, Canada, Russia and others.
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