Shoot for the Moon: These Astronauts Did!

              “If we want scientists and engineers in the future, we should be cultivating the girls as much as the boys…” -Sally Ride, PhD

              July 20, 1969- the day the phrase “One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind” made history. This is the day that the first humans set foot on the Moon. A team of three men, Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Michael Collins, took off from Earth on July 16 with one destination in mind: the surface of the Moon. Four days and 7.5 million pounds of space shuttle later, they accomplished their mission. The team returned to Earth on July 24, landing safely in Hawaii. Ten more astronauts made this incredible journey over three and a half years after the inaugural mission ended.

              All twelve astronauts who have walked on the moon have been men (Michael Collins never walked on the moon; he stayed in orbit as his colleagues ventured out). This doesn’t mean there haven’t been some amazing female astronauts who have ventured into space, however. There have been some truly incredible women who have boldly gone where no woman has before!

Sally Ride, PhD (1951-2012)

              Sally Ride made history in 1983 when she became the first American woman to ever venture into space! She also was the youngest American ever in space; at just 32 years old she served as the Mission Specialist on the SS Challenger for mission STS-7. She made another venture into space aboard the STS-41G, spending eight days in the shuttle performing different observations of Earth.

              Sally received her Bachelors of Science in Physics and her Bachelors of Arts in English from Stanford University in 1973. She continued her education and achieved her Masters of Science in 1975 and her doctorate in Physics in 1978. She began training for NASA in 1978, where she was one of only five women selected for that year’s class. In 1983, she became one of five members to board the Space Shuttle Challenger STS-7. During the weeklong mission, Sally helped conduct various experiments, as well as launched two communication satellites and operated the shuttle’s mechanical arm.

              Sadly, in July of 2012, Sally Ride passed away after a long battle with pancreatic cancer. She was posthumously (after the death of the person) awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2013 by President Obama, which was accepted by Sally’s long-term partner Tam O’Shaughnessy on her behalf. Sally Ride may have been the first American woman to go into space, but she definitely wasn’t the last! She paved the way for many more amazing women to follow in her footsteps.

Dr. Mae Jemison (1956-present)

              Dr. Jemison made history in 1992 as the first African American woman to travel into space. She joined six other astronauts on the Space Shuttle Endeavor mission, spending 8 days in space. Dr. Jemison’s amazing history didn’t start with her joining NASA; she had been doing amazing things before life led her there.

              Dr. Jemison earned her Bachelors in Chemical Engineering and her Bachelors of Arts in African-American Studies in 1977 from Stanford University. She then attended Cornell MEdical school, and graduated as an MD in 1981. She joined the Peace Corps in 1983 and served for two years as a medical officer in Africa. She decided to apply for NASA’s astronaut program after seeing Sally Ride become the first American woman in space. Mae was selected as one of fifteen participants in the NASA Astronaut Group 15. In 1989, she served as Mission Specialist for the STS-47 crew, and in 1992 she made her way into space upon the Endeavor shuttle.

              In 1993, after serving six years at NASA, she left and started The Jemison Group. This was a consulting company dedicated to encouraging science, technology, and social change. She also joined the Leading the 100 Year Starship project. This project, organized by DARPA, is working to “make sure human space travel to another star is possible within the next 100 years (womenshistory.org)”. Dr. Jemison never gave up on her dreams, and showed everyone what you can accomplish with hard work and perseverance.

Dr. Kalpana Chawla (1962-2003)

              Dr. Chawla made history as the first woman of Indian background in space. She was part of the Space Shuttle Columbia mission, spending 16 days in space and completing around 80 experiments in that time!

              Dr. Chawla was born and raised in India; she continued her education there and graduated from Punjab Engineering College in 1982 with her Bachelors in Aeronautical Engineering. She then went to the University of Texas, where she earned her Masters in Aeronautical Engineering in 1984, followed by receiving her Doctorate of Philosophy in Aerospace Engineering at the University of Colorado in 1988. After graduating, she began a career at NASA in the Ames Research Center. She worked with fluid dynamics, concentrating on simulations involving complex air flows that could be found around the aircrafts. In 1994, she was selected to join the 15th Group of Astronauts, and worked as a crew representative to help with technical issues for the Astronaut Office EVA/Robotic situational Awareness Displays. She became a mission specialist and prime robotic arm operator in 1996, working on the STS-87 mission. This mission studied how space’s weightless environment affects different physical processes. 

              In 2003, she was selected to be a part of the crew aboard the SS Columbia STS-107. This mission was solely dedicated to science and research. The seven crew members worked 24 hours a day, in 2 shifts, to complete all their experiments in the 16 days they were in space. Sadly, as the space shuttle was coming back to Earth, they had a terrible malfunction and the entire crew ended up passing away before the shuttle could land safely. She was posthumously awarded several medals, including the Congressional Space Medal of Honor and the NASA Distinguished Service Medal.

Christina Koch (1979-present)

              Christina Koch made history as being a part of the first all-female spacewalk that just happened in 2019! She and Jessica Meir, another astronaut on the shuttle, went out to replace a bad battery charge on the unit, and made history while they did it! Christina was also a part of the first three all-female spacewalks to ever happen.             

              Before joining NASA, Christina earned her Bachelors in Electrical Engineering from the University of Raleigh, North Carolina in 2001. She continued her education there, earning her Bachelors in Physics and her Masters in Electrical Engineering in 2002. She was a part of the NASA Academy program in 2001 at Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC), and then worked there from 2002-2004 as an electrical engineer. She then became a research associate in the US Antarctic Program, where she worked from 2004-2007. Part of her job during this time included a yearlong stay at the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station.

              In 2013, she was one of eight members chosen to be a part of NASA’s 21st astronaut class. She was assigned her first space flight in 2018, and became a flight engineer for Expeditions 59, 60, and 61. In total for these three missions, Christina spent 328 days in space. She went up to the space station in March of 2019 and stayed there until February 2020. This incredible feat gave her the title of the longest single spaceflight ever performed by a woman. The three all-female spacewalks that happened during her stay in the space station took a total of 42 hours and 15 minutes to complete!

Peggy Whitson, PhD (1960-present)

              Peggy Whitson holds the record for the most days a woman has ever spent in space. She spent a total of 377 days in space, between two trips up to the space station! She was also the first woman to serve as NASA’s chief resident and the first woman to have command of the space station.

              Before joining NASA, Peggy earned her Bachelors in Biology and Chemistry from Iowa Wesleyan College in 1981. She earned her Doctorate in Biochemistry from Rice University in 1985. Peggy’s career with NASA began in 1989, as a Research Biochemist at the Johnson Space Center. She was selected as an Astronaut Candidate in 1996 and began her training then. She served as the Deputy Chief of the Astronaut office for two years after her training, making her the first female chief.

              Peggy went into space for six months in 2002, aboard Expedition 5 STS-111. While in space, Dr. Whitson completed 21 investigations into human life sciences and performed a 4-hour spacewalk to install shielding on the Zvezda Service Module. She spent a total of 184 days in space during this trip and was named the first Science Officer while up in space on the mission. Her next long mission, Expedition 16, gave her an additional 192 days logged in space aboard the Soyuz TMA-11. She was the commander during this mission, and helped expand the living and working spaces in the space station for the first time in over six years! She went on five spacewalks to complete maintenance around the complex.

              Dr. Whitson retired from NASA in 2018, but she set some incredible records throughout her career. She currently holds the record for most time spent in space by an American astronaut, both male and female. During her time with NASA, she spent a total of 665 days in space!

              These are just a few of the amazing female astronauts who have pursued their dreams and helped pave the way for the next generation of female astronauts. They show us that with hard work and determination, we too can shoot for the moon!

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