President's Column
(July 2002)

Space Policy Doesn't Suit Women 

Yvonne Brill, a member of the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) and an acclaimed rocket-development engineer, has a new mission: keep our women astronauts in space. Ms. Brill, who previously served on NASA’s Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel, is driven by NASA’s decision to suspend development of a small-sized space suit. The smaller suit would benefit 20 percent of the astronaut corps — including smaller men, according to a report obtained by Science magazine.

The decision comes at a time when only one woman astronaut is scheduled to participate in space station projects between 2002-05. The new suits would make it easier for some women to perform the complex maneuvers required to work in space and on the space station.

The hard upper torso portion of current space suits comes in three sizes: medium, large and extra large. They fit about 90 percent of all men, but only 60 percent of women. The smaller suit would accommodate at least seven women in the current astronaut corps and might have been more comfortable and maneuverable for more than a dozen others, according to the Discovery Channel’s Discovery News.

Because current suits are not as good a fit, they put some women at a disadvantage in qualifying tests. In order to fly, astronauts must demonstrate their maneuverability in Houston’s Johnson Space Center Neutral Buoyancy Lab. But the hard upper torso makes it hard for some women to manage, giving them a lower score in vying for coveted slots on space flights.

Should the American public be concerned about this issue? I believe the answer is absolutely yes. Without a proper suit for working in the space station environment, information on how women adapt to the new frontier will be diminished, our young women will lose valuable role models, and a major step will be taken toward closing space to half of our population.

NASA says its decision to suspend the $16 million program is because of budget pressures. If you think this is poor policy, let your congressional representatives know. Small size does not equal small contributions.

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