NASA is a very safety conscious organization. So they want to overestimate everything and include way more than they need. So when she said a couple per day you can round that to 5 for safety, then considering it's a 6 day mission they want to include triple the amount of needed supplies which means 18 days worth. 18*5=90 which is pretty close to 100 so let's round up again. Plus tampons are a useful first aid tool, especially in zero gravity. You shove some into an open wound and it'll prevent blood from spilling all over the very sensitive equipment. Does a woman need 100 tampons for 6 days? Of course not, but she wasn't going to spend a week in the mountains, she was going to space, so the safety precautions were much more stringent
Good comment overall, but tampons should not be used instead of gauze for open wounds. They don't have nearly enough packing capacity to actually stop the bleeding. They only soak up the blood while the wound stays open and dangerous
This story always drives me insane. I'm a woman with endometriosis. When I was younger and was being dismissed as "dramatic" and "attention seeking", I absolutely had times where I went through a tampon an hour for 6 days straight (even overnight, had to set an alarm every hour to go swap), so 100 tampons for 6 days isn't actually ridiculous.
always drives me insane that people think that they should have packed less. imagine running out of something in space that is cheap, light, necessary for lots of reasons and in a situation where things can go wrong, yes it was a week trip, but, sometimes that week trip can get extended because things can go wrong.
This is a really good point. Never thought of that. There's really no limit to how adaptable a tampon can be in an environment where a leak can be catastrophic.
The story comes from a stand-up comedian's set. It is not a true story or a real thing that happened. The real story that the comedian's joke is based on was NASA did ask Sally Ride if 100 tampons would be enough, but they did not actually send her with 100 tampons. So yes, they did ask the woman.
The first sentence of the article:
Forty-six years ago, NASA engineers asked Sally Ride if 100 tampons was the right amount to send with her for a six-day spaceflight.
Sure, I'm an edge case, but I'm just saying that this isn't entirely ridiculous. Are most women going to need 100 tampons for 6 days? No. But it's not like it's some absolutely absurd amount that no women would ever need, it's actually realistic for a very small percentage of us, and it's always told like hur hur this is so dumb. It's really not. It's worth asking.
If your buddy is 27, you can just ask “would you like bourbon or vodka with this pile of coke?“ because, if you’re 27 and hanging out with your buddy, obviously neither of you are married or have kids….
32 Comments
StarvingMartist@sh.itjust.works · 55 pts · 64d
Wait what happened with nasa with the tampons?
makeshiftreaper@lemmy.world · 106 pts · 64d
I get to repost my top Lemmy comment:
NASA is a very safety conscious organization. So they want to overestimate everything and include way more than they need. So when she said a couple per day you can round that to 5 for safety, then considering it's a 6 day mission they want to include triple the amount of needed supplies which means 18 days worth. 18*5=90 which is pretty close to 100 so let's round up again. Plus tampons are a useful first aid tool, especially in zero gravity. You shove some into an open wound and it'll prevent blood from spilling all over the very sensitive equipment. Does a woman need 100 tampons for 6 days? Of course not, but she wasn't going to spend a week in the mountains, she was going to space, so the safety precautions were much more stringent
Flower@sh.itjust.works · 37 pts · 63d
With those astronauts going to the ISS for a week and ending up being there for 9 months, packing too much was the right thing to do.
T156@lemmy.world · 26 pts · 63d
They also don't want to be caught unprepared if it turned out that microgravity messed with menstruation, and made it worse than it would be on earth.
davidgro@lemmy.world · 20 pts · 63d
On top of all that, they didn't even send that many, they simply asked her if it was reasonable. She said to half it.
vaultdweller013@sh.itjust.works · 10 pts · 63d
I've had enough shit go wrong that I'd probably take that as a jinx and double it.
tomiant@piefed.social · 2 pts · 63d
"I'm not gonna need this thing" / every person who will desperately need thing tomorrow
Micromot@piefed.social · 5 pts · 63d
Good comment overall, but tampons should not be used instead of gauze for open wounds. They don't have nearly enough packing capacity to actually stop the bleeding. They only soak up the blood while the wound stays open and dangerous
Skullgrid@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 63d
it's probably US way of thinking, they expect bullet wounds
tomiant@piefed.social · 4 pts · 63d
HOW MUCH SHE PLANNING ON BLEEDIN UP THARR?!!
Apeman42@lemmy.world · 59 pts · 64d
NASA provided Sally Ride, the first American woman in space, an absurd 100 tampons for a 6-day mission.
lonefighter@sh.itjust.works · 68 pts · 64d
This story always drives me insane. I'm a woman with endometriosis. When I was younger and was being dismissed as "dramatic" and "attention seeking", I absolutely had times where I went through a tampon an hour for 6 days straight (even overnight, had to set an alarm every hour to go swap), so 100 tampons for 6 days isn't actually ridiculous.
Hotstillnasty@lemmy.world · 67 pts · 64d
always drives me insane that people think that they should have packed less. imagine running out of something in space that is cheap, light, necessary for lots of reasons and in a situation where things can go wrong, yes it was a week trip, but, sometimes that week trip can get extended because things can go wrong.
MML@sh.itjust.works · 23 pts · 64d
Also like 100 tampons don't take up that much room, afaik they don't expire if stored properly either.
Whostosay@sh.itjust.works · 42 pts · 64d
Yeah only thing is that they start to taste stale after a week or so, otherwise fine.
tostiman@sh.itjust.works · 12 pts · 63d
ಠ_ʖಠ
EyIchFragDochNur@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 63d
You can just mask that taste with more sauce
Ferrous@lemmy.ml · 16 pts · 64d
This is a really good point. Never thought of that. There's really no limit to how adaptable a tampon can be in an environment where a leak can be catastrophic.
Track_Shovel@slrpnk.net · 29 pts · 64d
You poor fucking thing. Just reading that made my guts churn
Archangel1313@lemmy.ca · 1 pts · 64d
Better safe than sorry.
Axolotl_cpp@feddit.it · 1 pts · 63d
I pray for you 🙏
plantfanatic@sh.itjust.works · -14 pts · 64d
It’s ridiculous that they didn’t ask the woman, you’re obviously an edge case.
theunknownmuncher@lemmy.world · 34 pts · 64d
The story comes from a stand-up comedian's set. It is not a true story or a real thing that happened. The real story that the comedian's joke is based on was NASA did ask Sally Ride if 100 tampons would be enough, but they did not actually send her with 100 tampons. So yes, they did ask the woman.
The first sentence of the article:
lonefighter@sh.itjust.works · 11 pts · 63d
Sure, I'm an edge case, but I'm just saying that this isn't entirely ridiculous. Are most women going to need 100 tampons for 6 days? No. But it's not like it's some absolutely absurd amount that no women would ever need, it's actually realistic for a very small percentage of us, and it's always told like hur hur this is so dumb. It's really not. It's worth asking.
davidgro@lemmy.world · 10 pts · 63d
They actually just asked her if it was reasonable. She said to half it.
IPlead386@sh.itjust.works · 7 pts · 64d
https://www.space.com/space-exploration/human-spaceflight/menstruation-in-space-will-be-studied-for-1st-time-with-operation-period
vapeloki@lemmy.world · 6 pts · 64d
NASA Engineers Packed 100 Tampons in Legendary Astronaut Sally Ride's Toiletry Kit for Just One Week In Space
JoeTheSane@lemmy.world · 15 pts · 63d
homes@piefed.world · 8 pts · 64d
If your buddy is 27, you can just ask “would you like bourbon or vodka with this pile of coke?“ because, if you’re 27 and hanging out with your buddy, obviously neither of you are married or have kids….
You should be good to go from there
Darmok and Jelad at Bogeta
Gonzako@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 63d
To me itd be easy, 0. Do bring 27 cokes
LovableSidekick@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 63d
His eyes opened!
resipsaloquitur@lemmy.cafe · 0 pts · 63d