020 | The Lady Astronaut's Toiletries Kit
Living in a male-dominated society means you’ll likely work in a male-dominated field. That was the situation I was in at NASA, before the first women flew to space. Naturally, many of the decisions concerning what astronauts needed in space were made based on men. This made for an exciting story regarding what men thought were the basic needs of a woman in space.
In this episode, I share the story of how NASA initially made the lady astronaut’s toiletries kit. I describe what women would need in space and what the men back then thought women needed. I also discuss the day when Sally and I made our toiletries kit inspection, why it made our eyes roll, and how they could have done better.
"If you were heading off on a 7-day spaceflight, what sort of things would you want in your toiletries kit?"
- Kathy Sullivan
This week on Kathy Sullivan Explores:
What a typical toiletries kit for a female astronaut would be composed of
Why NASA initially got female toiletries kits wrong
My thoughts on what NASA packed for their first flight with female astronauts
What in NASA's female toiletries kit made my eyes roll
Why the issue could have been prevented if they simply asked us first
Resources Mentioned:
Spaceship Not Required
I’m Kathy Sullivan, the only person to have walked in space and gone to the deepest point in the ocean.
I’m an explorer, and that doesn’t always have to involve going to some remote or exotic place. It simply requires a commitment to put curiosity into action.
In this podcast, you can explore, reflecting on lessons learned from life so far and from my brilliant and ever-inquisitive guests. We explore together in this very moment from right where you are… spaceship not required.
Welcome to Kathy Sullivan Explores.