From the hidden figures of Project Mercury to the next person to go to the moon, women have been and continue to make their mark on the aerospace community. Here are some fun facts from women pioneers in the space industry:
- On board the Challenger Space Shuttle, Sally Ride became the first U.S. female astronaut in space on June 18, 1983 and third women in the world to go to space.
- Counting Kayla Barron & Wang Yaping who are currently on board the ISS, there have been 72 female astronauts.
- The newest astronaut class includes four women, Nichole Ayers (32, major, U.S. Air Force), Christina Birch (35, doctorate in biological engineering from MIT), Deniz Burnham (36, lieutenant, U.S. Navy), & Jessica Wittner (38, lieutenant commander, U.S. Navy).
- Launching as early as 2025, the Artemis program will take the first women and the first person on color to the surface of the moon.
- 14% of aerospace engineers are women.
- In October 2019, the first all-female spacewalk was performed by Jessica Meir and Christina Koch.
- Red Canyon’s operation’s team is made up of 72% women!
Want to learn more about women in aerospace? Check out the links below!
Pioneering Women in Space: A Gallery of Astronaut Firsts
Celebrating Women’s History Month: Most Recent Female Astronauts
- S131-E-010040 (14 April 2010) --- The four women on the International Space Station pose for a photo in the Cupola while space shuttle Discovery remains docked with the station. Pictured clockwise (from the lower right) are NASA astronauts Dorothy Metcalf-Linden burger, Stephanie Wilson, both STS-131 mission specialists; and Tracy Caldwell Dyson, Expedition 23 flight engineer; along with Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Naoko Yamazaki, STS-131 mission specialist. (Image Credit: NASA)
