The history of women in Space

At last count, 564 people have been into space – 65 of them women.

The first woman in space was Valentina Tereshkova – she went into orbit in 1963. Svetlana Savitskaya was the second woman in Space, her mission was in 1982. The third woman in Space, in 1983, was Sally Ride.

Ride was the first astronaut who identified as part of the LGBTQ community.

How does a Space mission physically impact a woman?

Dr Varsha Jain is a space gynaecologist, working with NASA to research women’s health in Space.

Speaking to the BBC, Dr Jain confirms that spending time in Space impacts men and women differently.

“There are some subtle differences…” explains Dr Jain. “We don’t know if that’s to do with hormonal differences or more physiological changes that are occurring.”

The practicalities of a woman having periods while on a Space mission is something that NASA has considered carefully.

“Most female astronauts now use the contraceptive pill to stop their periods…” says Dr Jain. “It’s safe for them to do so because they’re healthy women.”

“There is no obvious demonstrable effect that going into space has on an astronaut’s ability to have children…” continues Dr Jain. “Both male and female astronauts have successfully had children after spaceflight missions. Female astronauts are, on average, 38 years old during their first mission.”