#IsraeliSpaceWeek Yesterday at the #RamonSpaceTech Conference 2021 @EyalBenZeev had a discussion with astronauts (husband and wife) @AstroKarenN and @Astro_Doug on work/life balance in an all-astronaut family.
It was a wonderful panel and I will share some comments 1/

It's great to see an astronaut couple who talks about both their flights and professional life as well as the family side and sacrifices or trade-offs. That is really the *Human* side of human spaceflight 2/

. @AstroKarenN said she had to give up the second shuttle flight because she was pregnant, and how they chose to bring their son to Russia during training so the family will not be separated too long, showing some of the trade-offs #WomenInSTEM have to balance
#WomenInSpace

. @Astro_Doug said the hardest part of spaceflight was seeing your loved one blast off on a rocket. Both frankly admitted that it worked because they had help. A wonderful nanny who moved with them, supporting parents, the sort of help every young professional couple need

I liked how the family story is combined with the professional one. That's life, that's your work-life balance. You worry about the little boy, but you also get to do amazing science and detail the success you have (Each showed great images from their spaceflights) #WomenInSTEM

While on the ISS, @AstroKarenN recorded personal messages to her son almost every day to show him before bedtime. That more than a hundred messages. And interestingly it the mommy side that had more details of the communication to the family from space, usually not shown

Last May it was @Astro_Doug turn to fly to space for a few months. Because of the #COVID19 pandemic, this time the family could be together before the flight since everyone was quarantining

This wonderful panel showed how in a family with two amazing professionals, the different trade-offs you make when one has a professional step up which would mean a big change for the other, & I really liked how it was possible for @AstroKarenN to take that long duration flight

A wonderful question by @MichalZiso - when you share your experiences, is there anything different from a gender perspective? @AstroKarenN received lots of comments "How could you leave your son" which didn't happen to @Astro_Doug
#WomenInSTEM #WomenInSpace

Finally, also remembering #STS107, as @Astro_Doug was part of the close up of the Colombia crew, and they took his patch to fly with them, as per tradition
#IsraeliSpaceWeek #שבועהחללהישראלי

You can watch the recording of this panel, starting at 4:32:00