SPACE SUFFRAGETTES

The United States has sent over 50 female astronauts into space, whereas Russia has so far dispatched just three. Could it be that the Russian space programme discriminates against women? Not at all, the programme’s creators explain. The reason is that, traditionally, Russia has approached the training of ‘female’ space missions with particular care and attention. Today, the cosmonaut corps includes Yelena Serova, who has been in training for eight years and whose first flight is scheduled for 2013. Serova is certain that her upcoming flight will not be a one-off, and that dozens of Russian female cosmonauts will follow. She predicts that in the future there will be Russian women-only space crews, as well as female spacecraft commanders. Being a cosmonaut is no longer a male profession. Yelena Serova is out to prove that!