From Val Dobson
Preston, Lancashire
“And whereas 45 per cent of American astronauts cannot fit in Soyuz, all
but the tallest 5 per cent of the population will fit inside the X-CRV…”
(“Lost in Space”, 16 March, p 40). But why should astronauts be large?
Larger-than-average people not only take up more space, they consume more air,
food, water and energy, and need more fuel to lift them off the Earth. It would
therefore make sense for space agencies to choose smaller-than-average people
for their programmes.
Going further, why should astronauts be physically perfect specimens? Legs
make up a large percentage of body mass and are mostly useless encumbrances in
space. The ideal astronaut would probably therefore be legless as well as
small.
