Nevertheless, research related to this subject has been conducted by NASA scientists and others. Much of this research originated in Houston, Texas, the home of NASA s Johnson Space Center, which is the center for the U.S. Space Shuttle and Space Station programs and a center for the study of the life sciences in the American space program. Houston There is surprisingly little data describing women s responses to spaceflight. Thus, annual and career exposure limits are lower than those for men. Another area of vital concern is whether women are more susceptible to bone fractures or osteoporosis because of bone loss during flight.
Orthostatic intolerance is an important concern following spaceflight.
Although there are no gender differences in orthostatic tolerance of ambulatory subjects, following bedrest women may have a greater impairment of orthostatic tolerance. This, together with a lower aerobic capacity and muscle strength, may compromise their ability to perform an emergency egress. Finally, women may be more susceptible to decompression illness. These and other examples of gender differences to be discussed in this presentation should be considered when selecting and monitoring female astronauts during long-duration space station missions. The ability of humans to live, work, and reproduce in space is essential for long-term survival.