An all-woman crew to Mars (2000)

In a July 2000 opinion piece in the journal Space Policy, science fiction author and NASA Glenn Research Center scientist Geoffrey Landis suggested that the American and Russian space programs made an error right from the beginning: women are more logical candidates for space missions [than men]. I suggest that the proposal should be taken seriously that a Mars mission should be flown by an entirely female crew.

Landis noted that women are on average lighter and smaller than men and use less water, food, air, and living space. A Mars spaceship with an all-female crew might thus be less massive than one with an all-male crew. This reduction in launch mass would in turn reduce the size and number of launch vehicles required, trimming Mars expedition launch costs.

Benefits that were harder to quantify might also accrue from an all-female Mars mission, Landis added. He asserted, for example, that "all-woman groups are far more likely to choose non-confrontational approaches to solve interpersonal problems," a characteristic which could prevent disruptive conflict during a long Mars expedition.

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