Meet Estel Blay, the IEEC’s Martian analog astronaut
Tomorrow, 8 March, is International Women’s Day, a day celebrated every year to call for gender equality and women’s rights. The Institute of Space Studies of Catalonia (IEEC — Institut d’Estudis Espacials de Catalunya) wants to take this opportunity to highlight the participation of one of its workers, Estel Blay, IEEC program manager working at ESA Phi-LabNET Spain, in the Martian analog mission Hypatia II last month.
The mission was prepared by Hypatia Mars, a female-led association with the goals of developing Martian research, bringing this research closer to society and raising awareness of women in science to create role models for girls and children.
From 2 to 15 February, Hypatia II brought a team of 7 women to the Mars Desert Research Station (MDRS), located in the Utah desert, under isolation and environmental conditions that aimed to mimic the conditions on Mars. The location created an immersive experience, where the crew truly felt what it is like to be on Mars, from the red desert terrain, to the extremely windy conditions and temperature drops, to the limited and scheduled extravehicular activities (EVAs).
Estel Blay was part of the Hypatia II crew, which allowed us to get a better understanding of what these missions mean, not just for the future of Mars exploration, but for future female generations. Along with Blay, who took the role of scientist & health and safety officer, there were 6 other women that made up a multidisciplinary team: Ariadna Farrés (crew commander), Anna Bach (crew executive officer & artist in residence), Helena Arias (crew engineer), Marina Martínez (geologist & GreenHab officer), Jennifer García Carrizo (crew journalist) and Mònica Roca i Aparici (mission specialist & crew engineer). Additionally, two women were selected as back-up crew members: Laura González Llamazares (engineer), and Lucía Matamoros (scientist).
Science in Mars
The crew, therefore, went to the MDRS in order to conduct scientific experiments in an environment that resembles Martian conditions. In particular, this is a way to study the effects that being on Mars can have on women in factors such as menstruation, nutrition, physical activity, circadian sleep rhythms, and other stress-related biological variables.
In turn, Blay conducted three experiments throughout the mission. These experiments were her own proposals as part of her application to Hypatia II:
- The first focused on studying the effects that Martian dust can have on the efficiency of solar panels by experimenting, on the one hand, with different coatings and, on the other hand, with different structures of ‘origami’ (foldable) solar panels.
- The second was the development of a 24-hour menu for astronauts. Blay collaborated with a Singaporean organisation called Space Faculty which proposes these kinds of STEM challenges to children. Blay cooperated with school students between the ages of 8 and 10 to design a healthy menu.
- The third focused on creating a GreenHab to grow tomatoes on Mars. Together with 16-year-old students of the British School of Barcelona, Blay studied the growth of tomatoes in different light and water conditions.
Lack of visibility for women in science
Currently, only 1 out of 10 astronauts are women. The lack of female astronauts has not only led to a significant data gap concerning space missions, but also a lack of visibility of women in science, reinforcing gender stereotypes and limiting the representation of women in STEM fields. This underrepresentation further results in a shortage of role models for younger generations of women, potentially discouraging them from pursuing careers in space exploration and other scientific disciplines. This is something the Hypatia association has kept trying to disrupt.
Blay reflected on how shocking the effects that an association like this can have on society. “The support we get from the community is quite impressive,” she said, “every single newspaper talks about us every time we go on a mission, sharing our adventures and experiments and helping to reach young women and girls all around the country.” This goes to show the positive effects that initiatives like this can have on society. It is important for girls to grow up seeing other women in science, as this inspires them to believe they are capable of achieving their dreams, and that they can succeed in anything they are passionate about. “It is working. It is clearly reaching society and having an impact on small kids,” Blay concluded.
