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Space Science

Female Astronaut Sets Space Record 243

Posted by ScuttleMonkey from the falling-into-the-record-books dept.
Raver32 writes to tell us that U.S. astronaut Sunita 'Suni' Williams has set a record for the longest single spaceflight by a woman. Breaking the previous record of 188 days set by astronaut Shannon Lucid in '96, Williams has lived aboard the space station since last December. "'It's just that I'm in the right place at the right time,' Williams, 41, said when Mission Control in Houston congratulated her on the record. 'Even when the station has little problems, it's just a beautiful, wonderful place to live.'"
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Female Astronaut Sets Space Record More

Female Astronaut Sets Space Record

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  • In other news... (Score:4, Funny)

    by Anonymous Coward on Monday June 18, 2007 @02:50PM (#19554675)
    Her fellow crewmen on the ISS were heard asking where their dinner was.
    • And, her drink? I wonder if her breakfast of champions includes Sunny Delight.

  • By a woman? (Score:5, Insightful)

    by TheRaven64 ( 641858 ) on Monday June 18, 2007 @02:52PM (#19554709) Journal
    Are women in some way better or worse adapted to living in space than men? If not, then why is this at all relevant. Is there a record for longest single spaceflight by a blond, or a black person? What about 'longest single spaceflight by someone with the Slashdot UID TheRaven64?' That record, at 0s, is held by me. W00t!

    Once you start picking subsets of humans who have achieved something, it quickly becomes meaningless.

    • Re:By a woman? (Score:5, Interesting)

      by CastrTroy ( 595695 ) on Monday June 18, 2007 @02:57PM (#19554797)
      If you look at the Guinness book of world records, you will see that a lot of the records are differentiated by sex. When you think about it, it's kind of odd. Women have been fighting for equal rights for so long, and yet in situations such as this, women are considered inferior, or at least, different.

      • Re:By a woman? (Score:5, Interesting)

        by billstewart ( 78916 ) on Monday June 18, 2007 @03:24PM (#19555245) Journal
        There are records where gender directly makes a difference - most children, for instance.

        And there are records where gender influences body shape, size, strength, and therefore separate records might make sense - running fast or far, lifting weights, etc.


        But then there are records like this where gender mainly influences the social environment - of those women who wanted to be astronauts when they were kids, or who kind of fell into it later after being doctors or test pilots, the percentage who could get through the prejudice of the military (who are the main source for astronauts) or the other civilian organizations that NASA deals with is going to be lower than the number of men who have that.


        So it's kind of like "Record for being in space longest with one hand tied behind your back". You can either give extra karma points to the person who sets the record, or deduct them from the people who discourage women from being astronauts.

      • women are considered inferior, or at least, different.

        Oddly enough, some ppl will consider them inferior for floating in space? But that is actually funny. For the same reasons that females are considered to be better suited to flying, they are also for being space.

        1. smaller size means less resources i.e. food, water, and oxygen.
        2. Ability to withstand larger stresses.
        3. And for space, even better suited for being exposed to radiation( male sperm is always growing so exposure to radiation is harsh).

        Heck, I s

        • Uh, you *do* know that a woman has a finite egg supply right? All the frozen sperm in the world wouldn't produce a child in a handful of barren women astronauts, whose eggs were laid to waste after years of space radiation. Meanwhile, a man creates millions of fresh little swimmers daily. So you damage the first 365 batches. There's a new one tomorrow!
          • radiation strikes MUCH harder on a cell that is undergoing mitosis and/or mieosis. In the case of a women, they have all their eggs from when they were a child. That means that when they are in space, the majoirty of the eggs are just sitting there akin to normal cells. Obviously, when ovulation occurs meiosis occurs, but those eggs are discarded if not fertilized. OTH, our little sperm is busy undergoing LOADS of mitosis/meiosis. As such, males can NOT withstand anywhere near the radiation that a women ca

            • Re: (Score:2)

              by dwater ( 72834 )
              so, we they'll need some tin foil underwear? ...and tin foil duvets.
              • Actually, that is a mistake as well. You get secondary radiation (scatter). Instead, the suggestion back then was to use LOTS of lead, dirt AND WATER. For space, there are areas on ISS where the *onauts can take refuge from a radiation burst. In addition, new fabric has been created which does a good job of absorbing radiation without generating scatter. That same fabric is being used on Bigelows.

      • Re: (Score:2, Insightful)

        by SlashV ( 1069110 )

        women are considered inferior, or at least, different.
        Do you suggest that they're not different ? Have you ever seen one ? Boy is this Slashdot ;D

    • Re:By a woman? (Score:5, Insightful)

      by stoolpigeon ( 454276 ) * <bittercode@gmail> on Monday June 18, 2007 @03:00PM (#19554861) Homepage Journal
      I can see where you are coming from - but I think that in America (she is an American astronaut) there is some value to emphasizing the possibilities to certain groups in the past that were told that they were incapable of certain things, be they intellectual or physical limitations. If you think that isn't so, just take a look at the number of jokes in this thread that are born out of a disregard for women as capable. I don't want to be all pc about this but I think it is a real issue - I guess as a father with daughters I'm more sensitive to it.

      • I disagree (Score:3, Interesting)

        by everphilski ( 877346 )
        there is some value to emphasizing the possibilities to certain groups in the past that were told that they were incapable of certain things, be they intellectual or physical limitations.

        I guess as a father myself, I disagree. Instead of setting up seperate bars for men and women, the playing field should be level for everyone. Since we now tell our daughters that they don't have those incapabilities and limitations that prior generations had, shouldn't we tell them that they can attain as much as any in
        • [quote]the playing field should be level for everyone[/quote]
          We should tell boys as well as girls that they are worthless and will grow up to bag groceries
          that way nobody will try

          (and I'll keep my job when I'm 40 years older)

        • Re:I disagree (Score:5, Insightful)

          by stoolpigeon ( 454276 ) * <bittercode@gmail> on Monday June 18, 2007 @03:45PM (#19555607) Homepage Journal
          Well I agree about telling our daughters that they are capable. But female role models in certain fields are very scarce due to the past discrimination. So I guess I'm glad to see a story about a female astronaut, for whatever reason.
           
          I don't know that it sounds demeaning though, to anyone who understands the context. I for one, having been a part of the Naval aviation community, fully understand the kind of obstacles this woman overcame to get where she is. Obstacles no man in her class had to face.
           
          Go look at her wikipedia write up [wikipedia.org]. Notice how it starts? All the emphasis on her heritage? It looks sort of like some of the lists that are being created to mock my posts. People of just about any race or nationality are extremely proud to be associated with the space program and go out of their way to point it out. Why women shouldn't be allowed to be the same, I have no idea.
           
          My initial reaction to the article was that if I had to guess - she is annoyed at the focus on her gender. And maybe she is. But the more I thought about it, the more I was pleased to see a woman achieving this getting attention - whatever the reason.
        • Comment removed based on user account deletion
          • For the most part I agree with you. However, a 200 lbs. male power lifter will be stronger than a 200 lbs. female power lifter. It is just the nature of humans. For most sports, I do think you are spot on. Take tennis for example. Why can't that be unisex?

            I remember when I was a kid this battle of the sexes tennis match. I think it was during the 70's? I was born in 1972, so I was a little young and don't remember it all. Anyway, they put some young female tennis player in her prime against some

          • Re: (Score:2)

            by dwater ( 72834 )
            > Not even sports should be gender-based

            Right! Nor based on any (other?) physical characteristic either.

            I'm particularly keen on volleyball, but I'm not very tall. I've seen several people who are 'picked' because they're tall, but are less capable than I (am). At one point, I thought I might be able to be pretty good, but there doesn't seem to be much point if there's only one position for short people (libero) - it seems even setters (my favourite position) should be tall.

            This reminds me of boxing - do
        • I understand that there's some sort of desire to level the playing field because, on average, women have a physical disadvantage vs men and by making a category for women we provide an opportunity for women to compete too.

          However gender is not the only way in which people are physcially disadvantaged. Why is there no classification for "nerdy little runts" to give them a break too? About the only place this happens is in sports like weightlifting and boxing where there are divisions based on body weight.

      • +10. As of right now, every other post is not about what this person has done -- spending nearly six months orbiting the earth -- but the fact that we shouldn't be filtering on sex. I'm not sure what they're claiming -- it's not like she gets higher pay or a new car for spending more time in space. She didn't get a certificate to hang. She just gets to spend (wait for it) ..more time in space. It's just a statement of fact, so I'm not sure why every Slashdotter is suddenly concerned about equity when they'v

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by rts008 ( 812749 )
        Wish I had some mod points for you (insightful at least), but i don't...thus my reply.

        As with a lot of things in our society that need fixed/tweaked, as parents we have a LOT of power to help this along. But only if we as parents make the effort to wield that power effectively.

        Most of my attitudes haven't changed a lot since becoming an adult, to which I credit to my parents doing a good job raising me.

        It's kind of like building a house- no matter the $$$'s spent on fancy materials and trimwork, if it has n
    • Well I remember reading about a US Navy study some years ago that concluded that nuclear submarines would function more efficiently if they were crewed solely by women because they coped better mentally with prolonged cramped living conditions similar to those on the space station.

      • Re:By a woman? (Score:5, Insightful)

        by CastrTroy ( 595695 ) on Monday June 18, 2007 @03:06PM (#19554991)
        If anybody has ever worked in place where the staff was mostly/all female, they will tell you that the work place dynamics were not good. Arguing over stupid little things and holding grudges against other coworkers is common. I don't mean to generalize here, but as far as I've heard, workplaces with mostly women end up being very hostile. Contrast that to the male dominated places where I worked. Arguments did happen, as they always will, but most men are able to move on and forget about so that the work gets done.

        • Re: (Score:3, Interesting)

          by Timesprout ( 579035 )
          I agree, I find women in the workplace are generally polite to each other and then frequently turn around and bitch like anything behind each others back. However the office wokspace is a very different environment to a nuclear submarine where you are deployed for 6-8 months at a time in a 100m long narrow metal tube, sharing bunks, monotonous shifts etc and there is just no getting away from each other. Thats what the study concluded women dealt with better than men with improved discipline and efficiency
        • I worked in the schools library service for many years. Female dominated profession. Often I was one of the few men. All ticked along nicely in the places I worked in, quiet days, deadlines, whatever.

          Could be a reflection of the industry you're in, the country/ culture you're in, who knows...

        • Re: (Score:2)

          by Lumpy ( 12016 )
          This is 100% true. The drama and angst at my wifes accounting firm is incredible. (she works for a all woman Accounting company) it's so bad she is already putting in resumes at other firms around here, actually looking for one where the number of men outnumber women.

          She absolutely hates working in a "hen house" as she puts it.

        • Re: (Score:2)

          by Alomex ( 148003 )
          One possible explanation is that we men have similar misguided instincts. To give an example, we have as a natural tendency to resolve things via fistfights, but over hundreds of years of workplace culture we have learned to difuse things before they reach that state (modulo the occasional fight in the Taiwanese parlament or pistol/fencing duels a mere 200 years ago).

          Women in contrast, being new to the workplace, have yet to learn the habits of a successful workplace collaborative culture.

    • Re: (Score:2, Informative)

      by Anonymous Coward
      What struck me upon reading the article was the passage that mentioned women in zero gravity stop ovulating after two to three months. I think this may have serious implications for long-term human space travel.

      • Re:By a woman? (Score:5, Funny)

        by Profane MuthaFucka ( 574406 ) * <busheatskok@gmail.com> on Monday June 18, 2007 @03:05PM (#19554967) Homepage Journal
        Insane drug and sex parties with zero-G Kamasutra moves lasting for days and days without fear of pregnancy? Is that what you meant?

        • Re:By a woman? (Score:4, Insightful)

          by everphilski ( 877346 ) on Monday June 18, 2007 @03:28PM (#19555327) Journal
          No, the concept of sending a ship out into space to explore our neighbors - basically a 1-way expedition spanning generations - might not be a possibility if we can't start up a second or third generation in space.

          • Re: (Score:3, Insightful)

            by Waffle Iron ( 339739 )

            a 1-way expedition spanning generations - might not be a possibility if we can't start up a second or third generation in space.

            Given what has been shown to happen in just over a year on a space station, anybody who spends a decade or more in zero-G would probably end up totally physically incapacitated. Subsequent generations of zero-G dwellers would probably rapidly devolve into a gelatinous mass. Therefore, any long-term space travel would certainly have to utilize some form of artificial gravity.

            • Re: (Score:3, Insightful)

              by drinkypoo ( 153816 )

              Given what has been shown to happen in just over a year on a space station, anybody who spends a decade or more in zero-G would probably end up totally physically incapacitated. Subsequent generations of zero-G dwellers would probably rapidly devolve into a gelatinous mass. Therefore, any long-term space travel would certainly have to utilize some form of artificial gravity.

              Artificial gravity is a triviality when you have enough mass to work with. You just rotate the whole fucking ship. Easy as pie and you

    • Exposure to ionising radiation has a far worse effect on the female reproductive system than the male. This is reflected in UK Health and Safety laws. Spaceflight involves exposure to large "amounts of radiation," i.e. high doses.

      However, I take your point, and I suppose the record has nothing to do with this, other than an anachronism from the days when men and women were treated very differently due to social stereotypes and prejudices.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by elrous0 ( 869638 ) *
      Frankly, I'm more worried about their stability back on the ground [cnn.com].
    • Once you start picking subsets of humans who have achieved something, it quickly becomes meaningless.

      It's a crazy world we live in - Next thing you know, for Hillary Clinton to become the first female president, or for Barack Obama to become the first African American president, will be considered somehow 'meaningful'.
    • You know it's actually worse than meaningless.

      There is always the implication when saying "by a woman", of "for a woman".

      It's like saying that they are not as capable as men are.

      If I was a woman, it would piss me off that someone says to me "by a woman" because that is implying that {women are} being held to a separate (and under the "for" concept, a lesser) standard, which should not be the case.

      why can't this person be the 4th longest flight, or the 10th longest flight or the longest flight, whate

  • heh (Score:5, Insightful)

    by stoolpigeon ( 454276 ) * <bittercode@gmail> on Monday June 18, 2007 @02:53PM (#19554713) Homepage Journal
    my initial reaction was that they shouldn't make a big deal over it based purely on sex - but the more I think about it, I hope that this is something that inspires more women to be involved in engineering and other male dominated fields. I think it would be beneficial to all of us.
    • would bring the dating pool closer. All you have to do then is find a way for it to be acceptable for the females to be drunk enough at work to consider dating you.

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by rts008 ( 812749 )
        "...for the females to be drunk enough at work to consider dating you."

        Remember where your posting...I think that much alcohol is considered a lethal dose in most human beings. It may be okay for cows though...gives a new perspective on the term cow-orkers!

        Now to go scrub my brains with bleach to get rid of the mental images.
    • It would actually be better for those women to have some children with another smart guy if they are at all on the fence about deciding on such a career. There aren't many of them, and it's about time we stopped eating our seed grain.

  • Obligatory (Score:5, Funny)

    by wampus ( 1932 ) on Monday June 18, 2007 @02:56PM (#19554777)
    She also set the record for the most number of orbits with the turn signal on.

  • "...by a woman" (Score:4, Insightful)

    by Hatta ( 162192 ) on Monday June 18, 2007 @02:57PM (#19554787) Journal
    Does it seem a little demeaning to anyone else that this is just the longest spaceflight "by a woman"? It makes it seem like the girls are playing "Me Too!" Who cares if it's a woman or a man. Just let me know when the longest space flight by a person of any gender occurs, that will be note worthy.
    • In this country, and as I understand it - in many others, women are not treated equally and are still considered by many to be less of a person than men. In that environment I think it is completely appropriate to point out that people who hold such opinions are completely in the wrong.

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by Belial6 ( 794905 )
        Of course, in this case, the report is by someone who thinks that women are inferior, and thus need to be congratulated for coming in second in a two gender race.

  • Neat, so when do we stop. (Score:3, Interesting)

    by ushering05401 ( 1086795 ) on Monday June 18, 2007 @03:00PM (#19554867) Journal
    I know many fem rights activists as my sister is an advocate for the cause (Berkeley based). Many of those ladies get offended by the constant separation of female achievement from male achievement.

    So the question is when do we stop. Previously a woman spent 188 days in space. This woman broke that record. Another woman will break the new record. I get the feeling that people are holding up these records as some sort of validation that we now treat women equal to men.

    Reality is, we are treating women equal to men when they are judged by the same criteria. The day that I see a story on the /. front page that a woman holds the *overall* record for time in space is the day I will start believing that humanity has come to terms with equality between the sexes.

    Then again, my experience conversing with fem related activists shows me that as many women would disagree with this point as might agree.

    Just something to think about. In my mind this story is kinda equivalent to the old example of hidden racism... the one related to calling a black person 'well spoken'... which is apparently offensive to many black people (for several reasons) but thought of as a compliment by most white people. If you are unfamiliar with this concept ask a sociology grad to explain it, as I do not have links to the studies.

    Regards.

    • I know many fem rights activists as my sister is an advocate for the cause (Berkeley based). Many of those ladies get offended by the constant separation of female achievement from male achievement.

      Just out of curiosity (this isn't a troll, I'm really curious) does your sister (and/or her colleagues) support the efforts of female golfers to compete in (men's) PGA tournaments? (e.g. Annika Sorenstam, Michelle Wie). If so, do they similarly support the elimination of the LPGA in favor of a single non-gend

      • I watch a lot of golf. I have no problem with women in the PGA as long as they are hitting from the same tee position. From reading stuff like this article [isteve.com], it seems like women still don't have the necessary strength to keep up with the men's tour. And with the men's tour constantly getting longer to keep up with the longer shots men are capable of making (witness the 300 yard par 3 on last weekend's US Open, which the men still birdied), I don't think women are going to catch up very soon.
      • Oh, sorry I left this out of my post before, but the reason I feel that equestrian events are gender integrated is because the horses are the actual athletes, not the people riding them. I'm not sure why equestrian is an Olympic event. At that point, you might as well add auto racing.

        • Re: (Score:2)

          by rts008 ( 812749 )
          The Olympic Games started out as a celebration of the normal everyday skills of soldiers. Think of it as the old-time Club Med Martial Arts Competition.
          (just like USA's Rodeo celebrates some of the work skills of the Wild West era cowboys/ranchers)

          As time went on, the Games became more popular, battle tactics changed (cavalry) new events were added, such as Equestrian events to reflect cavalry.

          In more modern times it started reflecting more sports related events.
          My guess as to why relates to my seei
        • The Olympics aren't just about physical strength. It has a lot to do with skill as well. Don't even pretend that you could do any of the equestrian events anywhere near the Olympic level. I'd also like to note that archery, table tennis, sailing and curling are current Olympic sports. Dressage/Show Jumping require as much athleticism as these.
      • Reminds me of how in Boston years ago there was a big stink about how a weightlifting gym had a seperate section for woman. They screamed until they dropped the distinction (can't dig up a link). Now there is a chain of gyms called Healthworks [healthworksfitness.com] that is only for woman. For some reason THAT is ok. Gotta love double standards.
      • At the top levels of competition the playing field should be level. If any person can compete at the top level they should be allowed to do so.

        There are realities about physical form dictated by hormones that differ between the sexes, but there is also an incredible variation on both sides of the sex issue.

        Many women have extremely athletic form, and many men have... uh... not athletic form. On the intelligence front we recently saw a study that suggested testosterone influenced mathematical abilities whil
      • Comment removed based on user account deletion

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by kabocox ( 199019 )
      Reality is, we are treating women equal to men when they are judged by the same criteria. The day that I see a story on the /. front page that a woman holds the *overall* record for time in space is the day I will start believing that humanity has come to terms with equality between the sexes.

      I wouldn't even really be excited by that. I'd be excited by not even really knowing/caring about it. What's the freaking deal about the gender of a record holder? I know that's one of the first thing we do to group ou

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by jcnnghm ( 538570 )
      Would the majority of women be satisfied to live in a world where their achievements are overlooked because they are unable to compete on the same level as men, for whatever reason?

      There is a double standard here, if a woman is the best, the record is listed as the best person at x, if a man is best, then records are usually listed as best male and best female at x.
    • > If you are unfamiliar with this concept ask a sociology grad
      > to explain it, as I do not have links to the studies.

      A recent episode of Boston Legal dealt with this. Captain Kirk called a job applicant "Well Spoken -- Like Obama".

      It was freakin' hilarious.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by foobsr ( 693224 )
      The day that I see a story on the /. front page that a woman holds the *overall* record for time in space is the day I will start believing that humanity has come to terms with equality between the sexes.

      Drum fill!

      My aspiration level is not so exorbitant; if equal wages would be paid down on earth, I think humanity could do without the /. frontpage story.

      CC.

  • Too long in space (Score:5, Informative)

    by Animats ( 122034 ) on Monday June 18, 2007 @03:01PM (#19554877) Homepage

    If we had a decent launch capability, nobody would be spending that long up there. Things like this happen because of launch delays, not because anybody is supposed to spend that long on a mission.

    The record is held by Valeriy Polyakov [wikipedia.org], who spent 431 days on Mir. He had the unfortunate experience of being up while the USSR was coming apart.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by Otter ( 3800 )
      I haven't been following what's going on with this crew, but I was reading the blurb here and thinking that Shannon Lucid certainly wasn't "in the right place at the right time". As you say, neither was Polyakov.
      • 'On a different planet' was probably about the best place to be when the Soviet Union collapsed. This not being an option, I'd say Mir was probably a good second bet...

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by kabocox ( 199019 )
      If we had a decent launch capability, nobody would be spending that long up there. Things like this happen because of launch delays, not because anybody is supposed to spend that long on a mission.

      The record is held by Valeriy Polyakov, who spent 431 days on Mir. He had the unfortunate experience of being up while the USSR was coming apart.

      If we had decent space stations, then there wouldn't be a need for them to ever come back down, and we'd have people living their entire lives up there.

  • Astronaut Sets Female Space Record ... (Score:3, Insightful)

    by Palmyst ( 1065142 ) on Monday June 18, 2007 @03:28PM (#19555319)
    is the more accurate headline.
  • Does anyone know what such a long time in space does with your body?
    What would be differences in impact between woman and men?
    I seem to remember a documentary about Russian cosmonauts who's bone-mass had become alarmingly small after being in weightlessness too long.
    Is that different these days?

    H
    p.s Please keep it scientific....
    • one thing that is I am sure of some interest to women with an abundance in the area of mamary glands is; the lack of gravity means a lack of sag. I AM being scientific!

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