Men in Space
Mark Sulkowski
>e. What I don't understand is why they show *men* in space.
>Elementary biometrics clearly show that women are better adapted for
>space travel. The handicaps that men need to overcome make it highly
>unlikely that a male spacefaring culture will ever develop.
I have heard someone from NASA life science discuss this in
person. According to her, there is still *much* to learn about what
is going on biologically with humans (men and women) in space.
First of all, while women are better adapted for space travel,
men aren't THAT bad off. It doesn't seem so unlikely that men would
take to space. Women might be more reliable in zero-g, and you DID
notice that that Commander Sinclair's girlfriend was a frequent space
traveller...
Second, in the future there may be a 'cure' for the harmful
effects of space. Perhaps a pill that people take. There may be two
different pills -- one for men and the other for women. Considering
the demand for such a cure, and considering that the B5 universe appears
to have a market economy (yea!), it seems VERY likely that if such a cure
could be found, it would have been by then.
Mark Sulkowski
Felix Lee
>e. What I don't understand is why they show *men* in space.
Mark Sulkowski:
> I have heard someone from NASA life science discuss this in
> person. According to her, there is still *much* to learn about what
> is going on biologically with humans (men and women) in space.
Yes. I'm sure this is true.
When I wrote that comment, I was trying to parody species-centric
statements like: "there aren't any non-humanoid space-faring cultures
because an upright posture or opposable thumbs or whatever are a
distinct evolutionary advantage."
(One interesting example of a technological culture without hands is
Vernor Vinge's Tines, in _A Fire upon the Deep_. Tines are a
group-mind organism. Each Tine is made of 4 to 6 dog-like creatures,
interconnected by ultrasonic communication. A Tine manipulates things
with its mouths, and has little difficulty coordinating complex
actions using all its members. Vinge carefully thinks through the
implications of this organism, and writes about it pretty well.)
Now, while I remember hearing that women are better adapted for space,
I don't remember exactly what it was that gave them an advantage.
Anyone know?
--
Chris DuPuis
>Now, while I remember hearing that women are better adapted for space,
>I don't remember exactly what it was that gave them an advantage.
>Anyone know?
"Some women, Commander Norton had decided long ago, should not be allowed
aboard ship; weightlessness did things to their breasts that were too damn
distracting. It was bad enough when they were motionless, but when they started
to move, and sympathetic vibrations set it, it was more than any warm blooded
male could be asked to take. He was quite sure that at least one serious space
accident had been caused by acute crew distraction, after the transit of a well-
upholstered lady officer through the control cabin."
Arthur C. Clarke
_Rendezvous With Rama_
Thus, women are obviously much better suited to survival in space, because they
tend to be less easily distracted.
--
Christopher DuPuis go...@ugcs.caltech.edu
"Speak softly and carry a big stick."
-Archimedes
Gregory R Block
: Now, while I remember hearing that women are better adapted for space,
: I don't remember exactly what it was that gave them an advantage.
: Anyone know?
Built in counterweights. :) Actually, I imagine its a higher center of
gravity due to their... proportions.
Greg
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David C. Navas
>Built in counterweights. :) Actually, I imagine its a higher center of
[looks skyward]
As I remember it, women tend to lose bone mass slower due to their naturally
higher estrogen level. Presumably we're talking about women -before-
menopause....
There may be other reasons, though I wouldn't know wht they were....
>(: BOOPSI (boop see) n. 1. Acronym, "Buy Our Other Products or :)
No, boopsi stands for Beyond Our Other Products which Suck Iodine.
;)
--
David Navas ja...@netcom.com
dna...@us.oracle.com
"Talent develops in quiet places; character, in the full current of human life"
Frank Mayhar
>gravity due to their... proportions.
Your imagination is faulty. Women have _lower_ centers of gravity than
men. It's that vaunted upper body strength that makes men top-heavy.
--
Frank Mayhar fma...@acsc.com
Advanced Computing Systems Company
3000 S. Robertson Blvd. Suite 400, LA, CA 90034 (310) 815-4858
Felix Lee
> As I remember it, women tend to lose bone mass slower due to their naturally
> higher estrogen level.
Aha. That seems to be the explanation I heard. (But the rationale
based on Arthur C. Clarke is funnier:-)
--