The past four hours of my precious time have been spent mulling over the workings of the divine feminine in the landscape (or airscape, if that’s a word) of space travel. Context incoming: Sunita Williams, an American astronaut of Indian origin is currently stranded in space with her colleague Butch Wilmore as their Boeing Starliner is experiencing helium leaks.
Initially designed to be a nine day mission, the mechanical setback denotes an indefinite delay raising obvious concerns about the crew’s safety. Now I’m neither an astrophysicist nor a white man heading the famed workings of some of the biggest space agencies in the world to pass declarations of any sort.
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Just a well-wisher hoping for Sunita Williams and Wilmore’s safe return. But then I also happen to be a fellow woman, who ardently spent a substantial chunk of her formative years wondering about navigating menstruation in space.
How do women menstruate in space? Are there enough provisions for female astronauts? Thus ensued some research and unearthing of evolutionary facets of our space advancements through the years.
The body’s sensation of weightlessness in space has no effect on the blood flow. The menstrual cycle functions regularly, unlike the cardiovascular system, which becomes lethargic. Blood doesn’t drift to undesirable locations on its own. Phew.
But then there’s a urine processing assembly on board the International Space Station, which recovers water from an astronaut’s pee, because well, there’s no refrigerator with seven flavours of soda for when craving a can. Astronauts have to take precautions, so as to not contaminate it because it does not handle blood very well. Obviously. Due to this, many astronauts opt not to menstruate while on flight. Although they were not intended to handle human blood, a few waste-disposal devices on board the International Space Station are now, capable of processing it the right way. Good.
Tampons and sanitary towels are among the additional weight and logistics that women experiencing their period in space consider. Most women choose to postpone getting their period and utilise contraception that aids them in doing so. However, there is a problem: approximately 1,100 pills would be required for a three-year voyage (to Mars and back, for example) to prevent periods, and the flight would have to handle carrying and discarding all of the packaging in addition to covering the expense of launching any additional payload into space. Tricky business.
However, there are alternatives available, referred to as long-acting reversible contraceptives, which are regarded as a dependable and safe substitute in terms of waste and health. There is no packaging to discard, which is great. An IUD (intrauterine device), is surgically implanted into the uterus and lasts for three to five years, and is the most widely used option.
Hopefully, a woman will set foot on the moon in the not too distant future, which will perhaps birth new approaches to space with regards to menstruation. Who would want to carry 1,100 birth control tablets to Mars? Not me. Not that I’m in the running for it, I’l have to join that darn gym first. And more. Till then, let’s hope for a safe return for Sunita Williams and her colleague Wilmore.
