Female astronauts may be a ticket to Mars

When it comes time to take the long, long trip to Mars, the researchers suggest that an all-female astronaut crew would be a good idea. For space exploration, a study published in Scientific reports Found, that women have the most efficient body type. On a 1,080-day mission, per Phys.org, a four-woman crew would save $158 million on food, plus the onboard storage space the food would require. And women will generally be less resource drainers than men.

Female crew members use less oxygen and water and produce less carbon dioxide. Researchers found that women lose 29% less water through sweating during aerobic exercise, which means they need less water to rehydrate. Size differences alone provide advantages without men in the crew. Astronauts barely have enough room to work side by side or back-to-back at sites on the International Space Station. Younger members will be able to do the same work at least as efficiently in the same place. The study documents a thesis that has been around since the 1950s, per IFLScience. But it was 1983 before Sally Ride broke the gender barrier. (Read more stories of female astronauts.)