A woman astronaut went to space for 6 days — and NASA hadn't a clue how many tampons to pack

Being the first American woman to reach space is a notable accomplishment for Sally Ride. However, one unexpected component of her mission was recently brought to light by a widely shared video: 100 tampons. Comedian Marcia Belsky wrote a memorable song about the time NASA sent a woman into space with 100 tampons for a week. Since the video is based on a bizarre but real story, its popularity surged within no time. Not just this, Ann Friedman's Ride profile also showed the incident, revealing the shocking lack of understanding of male scientists regarding the requirements of female astronauts during that era, as per the American Prospect.

Friedman shared that the tampons were linked together like sausages to stop them from floating in space. “Is 100 the right number?” the engineers questioned the astronaut to which she replied snarkily, “That would not be the right number.” The male engineers even justified their decision to pack 100 tampons, saying, “We just want to be safe,” as reported by Vox. The incident quickly sparked many reactions online. One X (formerly Twitter) user, @MarquitaThomas, wrote, "I don’t get what the issue is. Just because they’re rocket scientists doesn’t mean they know the flow of every woman on earth."

Another person, @1followernodad, suggested, "Ok, here's the deal. Yes, it was dumb of NASA to ask Sally Ride if she needed 100 tampons for a 7-day mission, but I would have said, 'Actually, I need 250,' because that's free tampons from the government, baby." A third X user, who goes by the username @EspeBartolome, commented, "It's not the overstocking or the asking. Is the absolute lack of basic first-grade knowledge coming from a huge organization of freaking scientists!" However, some users also sided with the scientists as @NZNatKiwi wrote, "I guess it's better to be over prepared than under prepared... Right?"

Several others have also pointed out that Ride’s mission took place in 1983, a time when gender considerations weren’t as common as they are now. While it may seem like a long time ago, people were well aware of menstrual cycles back then as well. Still, the engineers, playing it safe, made the odd decision to overestimate her needs. It’s easy to laugh at their lack of basic biology understanding, but it also highlights the challenges Ride faced as she navigated a male-dominated field. Before becoming an astronaut, Ride started her aeronautics journey on the ground, working as a capsule communicator during the second and third shuttle flights.

Ride's historic 1983 journey aboard the Challenger further left a mark on the history. Meanwhile, her influence on space exploration did not end there. She played a significant role in determining the future of the space program. To guarantee future safety and advancement in space missions, Ride participated in the investigation boards established after the devastating Challenger disaster in 1986 and the Columbia disaster in 2003. She also participated in the 2009 Augustine Committee, which was crucial for deciding the course of NASA's upcoming spaceflight missions, as reported by Space. Even after leaving NASA in 1987, Ride's love for science and space remained.