We’re going somewhere humanity hasn’t quite been willing to go yet… not physically, but conversationally.

Because if we’re serious about building a future on Mars, we have to ask a simple question: are we designing that future for everyone?

This week, I’m joined by Manju Bangalore: engineer, researcher, astronaut-in-training, and founder of Operation Period to explore one of the most overlooked gaps in human spaceflight: menstruation.

From her work at NASA and in science policy to launching a pioneering effort to study periods in microgravity, Manju is helping redefine what it means to build truly human-centered systems in space.

This is a conversation about science, stigma, autonomy, and design and why something that affects billions of people has been treated like an afterthought in space exploration.

If Mars is going to be home… this is part of the blueprint.

Check out Operation Period and their Red Shift Lab on their website: https://www.operationperiod.org/

Dive into more about Manju! https://www.astronautmanju.com/

A huge thank you as well to Manju for joining me today and sharing her time and perspective, to Kayley for helping coordinate and review everything, to Nick Thorburn for the stellar theme music, to Ceci Giglio for the incredible graphics, to Jero Squartini for the amazing animations, to RDan, Leila, Inka, and Carl for admining the Facebook group, and to my family for supporting this project—even when NASA design decisions become dinner table topics.

References:

• Stats on menstruators: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10014781/
• World Bank stats: https://www.worldbank.org/en/topic/water/brief/menstrual-health-and-hygiene
• Original Kotex ad: http://www.mum.org/kotexadwords.htm
• Tampax Tampons with Courtney Cox Commercial: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pnmxLW4cO88
• 100 tampons: https://people.com/nasa-engineers-packed-100-tampons-for-sally-ride-for-one-week-in-space-8781804
• Menstruation in spaceflight: Options for astronauts: https://www.kcl.ac.uk/archive/news/lsm/newsrecords/2016/apr/menstruation-in-spaceflight-options-for-astronauts?utm_source=chatgpt.com
• First study to measure toxic metals in tampons shows arsenic and lead, among other contaminants: https://publichealth.berkeley.edu/articles/spotlight/research/first-study-to-measure-toxic-metals-in-tampons-shows-arsenic-and-lead
• Tampons as a source of exposure to metal(loid)s: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0160412024004355
• FDA launches tampon safety investigation after study finds toxic metals: https://publichealth.berkeley.edu/articles/spotlight/research/fda-launches-tampon-safety-investigation-after-study-finds-toxic-metals#:~:text=Two%20months%20after%20a%20study%20led%20by,its%20own%20investigation%20into%20the%20potential%20hazard.
• Menstruation in spaceflight: https://www.kcl.ac.uk/archive/news/lsm/newsrecords/2016/apr/menstruation-in-spaceflight-options-for-astronauts?utm_source=chatgpt.com
• Analysis of menstrual effluent: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6016873/pdf/10020_2018_Article_9.pdf
• Next-gen tech can detect disease biomarker in period blood: https://www.psu.edu/news/research/story/next-gen-tech-can-detect-disease-biomarker-period-blood
• MenstruAI: https://ethz.ch/en/news-and-events/eth-news/news/2025/05/sanitary-towels-morph-into-test-strips.html
• Potential for and challenges of menstrual blood as anon-invasive diagnostic specimen: current statusand future directions: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11305704/pdf/ms9-86-4591.pdf
• Ginger for Pain Management in Primary Dysmenorrhea: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38770631/
• Effect of fennel on pain intensity in dysmenorrhoea: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3611645/pdf/AYU-33-311.pdf
• Comparison of the effect of Chamomile: https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/bcd0/a6d6c9ffc4012c6178d41662bb0899972723.pdf
• Hypatia astronauts:https://www.catalannews.com/tech-science/item/hypatia-astronauts-suggest-using-menstrual-blood-as-fertilizer-for-plants-on-mars