Galaxy Girls Read online

  Dedication

  To

  IMOGEN

  and

  LUCY

  Contents

  Cover

  Title Page

  Dedication

  Space Exploration Timeline

  Introduction

  The Origins of Space Travel

  → 1957

  Émilie du Châtelet

  Ada Lovelace

  Jeannette Piccard

  Mary Sherman Morgan

  Jacqueline Cochran

  The Dawn of the Space Age

  1957 → 1972

  Valentina Tereshkova

  Jerrie Cobb

  The Mercury 7 Wives

  Eilene Galloway

  Mary Jackson

  Dee O’Hara

  Katherine Johnson

  Margaret Hamilton

  The Waltham “Little Old Ladies”

  Poppy Northcutt

  Rita Rapp

  Dottie Lee

  The ILC Seamstresses

  Space Stations and Shuttles

  1972 → 2000

  Sally Ride

  Svetlana Savitskaya

  Nichelle Nichols

  Christa McAuliffe & Judy Resnik

  Mae Jemison

  Helen Sharman

  Eileen Collins

  Chiaki Mukai

  Claudie Haigneré

  Patricia Cowings

  Irene Long

  Living and Working in Space

  2000 → Now

  Peggy Whitson

  Julie Robinson

  Suni Williams

  Jeanne Lee Crews

  Kalpana Chawla & Laurel Clark

  Nicole Buckley

  Berti Brigitte Meisinger

  Samantha Cristoforetti

  Noriko Shiraishi

  Anousheh Ansari

  Ginger Kerrick

  Elena Serova

  The Future of Space

  Now →

  Liu Yang & Wang Yaping

  Kelly Latimer

  Gwynne Shotwell

  Frances Westall

  Simonetta di Pippo

  Ellen Stofan

  Monica Grady

  Gerda Horneck

  Anita Sengupta

  The First Person on Mars

  Your Mission

  Gallery of Illustrators

  Acknowledgments

  About the Author and Illustrators

  Copyright

  About the Publisher

  Space Exploration Timeline

  1543

  Nicolaus Copernicus publishes De revolutionibus orbium coelestium (On the Revolutions of the Heavenly Spheres), proposing that Earth revolves around the Sun

  1609 – 1619

  Johannes Kepler publishes works that define his laws of planetary motion, describing the orbits of the planets around the Sun

  1687

  Sir Isaac Newton publishes Principia Mathematica, laying out the laws of gravity

  1903

  Konstantin Tsiolkovsky publishes Exploration of the World Space with Reaction Machines, showing that rockets could get to space

  MARCH 3 1915

  The US National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics, the precursor organization to NASA, is formed

  MARCH 16 1926

  Robert Goddard launches the first liquid-fueled rocket in Massachusetts

  1945

  Wernher von Braun surrenders to the US Army and moves to the United States to lead American rocket development

  AUGUST 1946

  Sergei Korolev, known as the Chief Designer, and the main architect of the Soviet space program, is appointed

  OCTOBER 4 1957

  The Soviet Union puts the first satellite, Sputnik, into orbit

  NOVEMBER 3 1957

  The Soviet Union puts the first animal in orbit, a dog named Laika

  FEBRUARY 1 1958

  The United States puts their first satellite, Explorer 1, into orbit

  OCTOBER 1 1958

  NASA, the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration, becomes operational

  APRIL 12 1961

  Yuri Gagarin becomes the first human in space, orbiting the Earth in a 108-minute flight

  JUNE 16 1963

  Valentina Tereshkova becomes the first woman to fly into space on the Vostok 6 mission

  MARCH 18 1965

  Alexei Leonov makes the first spacewalk during the Voskhod 2 mission

  FEBRUARY 3 1966

  Luna 9, a Soviet robotic lander, makes the first controlled landing on the Moon

  JANUARY 27 1967

  Gus Grissom, Ed White and Roger Chaffee all perish when their spacecraft catches fire during a preflight launch rehearsal on the launchpad

  APRIL 24 1967

  Vladimir Komarov is killed when his parachute fails to open properly during the reentry of the Soyuz 1 mission spacecraft

  DECEMBER 21 1968

  Apollo 8 is the first crewed mission to orbit the Moon, with Frank Borman, Jim Lovell and William Anders on board

  JULY 20 1969

  Apollo 11 astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin are the first humans to walk on the Moon, while Michael Collins stays in lunar orbit

  APRIL 14 1970

  An explosion in an oxygen tank cripples the Apollo 13 spacecraft on the way to the Moon and threatens the lives of Jim Lovell, Fred Haise and Jack Swigert. They safely make it back to Earth three days later thanks to the heroic efforts of mission control

  APRIL 19 1971

  The Soviet Union launches Salyut 1, the first space station

  DECEMBER 14 1972

  The Apollo 17 Lunar Module, with Gene Cernan and Jack Schmitt on board, lifts off from the lunar surface and meets with Ronald Evans in the Command Module. Humans have not returned to the Moon since

  MAY 14 1973

  Skylab, the United States’ first space station, reaches orbit

  MAY 30 1975

  The European Space Agency (ESA) is formed, merging the European Launcher Development Organisation (ELDO) and the European Space Research Organisation (ESRO)

  APRIL 12 1981

  The first Space Shuttle mission, STS-1, launches

  JUNE 18 1983

  Sally Ride becomes the first American woman in space

  JANUARY 28 1986

  The Space Shuttle Challenger explodes seventy-three seconds after launch, killing the crew

  FEBRUARY 20 1986

  The Soviet Union launches the Mir space station

  MAY 18 1991

  Helen Sharman becomes the first British person in space, and also the first non-American or non-Soviet woman in space

  DECEMBER 25 1991

  The Soviet Union is dissolved, and the fifteen Soviet states, including Russia and Kazakhstan, become independent countries

  MARCH 22 1995

  Valeri Polyakov returns to Earth from Mir after spending 437 days in space, so far the longest flight ever undertaken

  FEBRUARY 24 1997

  A fire breaks out on the Mir space station, but the crew is able to extinguish it safely

  JUNE 25 1997

  During a manual docking test, a Progress cargo ship collides with the Mir space station, causing a leak. The crew is able to isolate the module, eventually regaining control of the space station

  NOVEMBER 20 1998

  The first module of the International Space Station, Russia’s Zarya, launches into space

  NOVEMBER 2 2000

  Expedition 1 launches to the ISS, which has been continuously occupied by a crew ever since

  MARCH 23 2001

  Having been mothballed in 1999, Mir descends into the Earth’s atmosphere and breaks up over the Pacific Ocean

  FEBRUARY 1 2003

  The Space Shuttle Columbia is destroyed as it reenters
the Earth’s atmosphere, following damage to a wing on launch, killing all seven crew members

  OCTOBER 15 2003

  China becomes the third country to launch a human into space, as Yang Liwei orbits Earth on the Shenzhou 5 mission

  OCTOBER 4 2004

  SpaceShipOne wins the Ansari X Prize by flying, piloted, more than 62 miles above Earth twice within two weeks

  JULY 21 2011

  Atlantis touches down in Florida, at the end of the last Space Shuttle flight

  SEPTEMBER 29 2011

  China launches their first space station, Tiangong-1

  DECEMBER 5 2014

  First test flight of the Orion spacecraft, a new crewed vehicle designed to take humans to orbit the Moon and Mars

  MARCH 1 2016

  Scott Kelly and Mikhail Kornienko return from the ISS after spending 340 days in space, the longest visit to the ISS so far

  . . . STILL TO COME . . .

  2018

  First flights of CST-100 Starliner and Crew Dragon to launch, taking crew to the ISS

  2019

  First crewed mission of Orion

  2030s?

  First humans walk on the surface of Mars

  Introduction

  I have been fascinated by space my whole life. Like many of the women in this book, I remember looking up in awe at the night sky as a child, learning the constellations, hoping to catch sight of a shooting star. I was captivated by the Moon, bright and beautiful; by the stories of those who had walked on it years before I was even born; and by the Space Shuttles that were roaring into orbit.

  But I didn’t long to be an astronaut or to work in the space industry—to me, those were jobs done in America, a world away from the suburbs of London where I was growing up. I simply enjoyed solving puzzles, trying to understand what I observed around me, and playing with machines and computers.

  Three decades later I’ve taken my fascination with space and turned it into a career that has fulfilled and surpassed anything I ever thought possible back then. The story of how I went from one to the other is part ambition, part determination and part good fortune, but it is a path that I believe anyone can tread, just as the amazing women in this book have done.

  At school, I liked math, science, music, and learning how the world worked. Age ten, I followed eagerly when the papers were full of news about the first British astronaut going to space—Helen Sharman. Six years later, my physics teacher, Mr. Farrow, held up a yellow leaflet and asked if anyone was interested in going to something that sounded very exciting, Space School. Generously my parents agreed that I could go. So I trundled off on my own that summer, and spent a week enthralled by lessons in rocketry and engineering. To my amazement I even visited a company in the UK that made satellites. Slowly, I started to see that my passion for space might actually lead to a job, something that had never crossed my mind before.

  In the first year of A levels, my friends and I were tasked with finding placements for work shadowing. I clearly remember us sitting in the common room, discussing what we would like to do. Some were writing to doctors, lawyers and vets, others to musicians or theaters. Someone asked what I would like to do and without blinking I replied, “I want to work at NASA one day.” Two of us hatched a plan—we would email NASA—not for a moment thinking it would succeed. A couple of weeks later, we were flabbergasted. Not only had we gotten a reply, but they had said yes! So in March 1998 we set off for two weeks in Houston.

  Out of this world doesn’t even begin to cover the visit, and all the brilliant things we saw, from the Moon rocks to spacewalk training and many things in between. But I will never, ever, forget walking into mission control, sitting next to Cathy Larson, the propulsion engineer, and watching the team practice Shuttle launch-and-abort scenarios. As soon as I put on the headset, heard the flight director bring the team of hugely talented people together, and watched as they harmoniously responded to problems in real time, I knew this was where I belonged.

  I came back from that trip with a new dream—to work in mission control. How that was going to happen, I had no idea. I was a Brit and NASA only hired US citizens. The British government did not support human spaceflight, so after Helen Sharman surely we’d never have anything as exciting as another astronaut. I quietly filed my ambitions away, thinking it was most likely impossible.

  I went off to study physics at university, then completed a fascinating master’s degree in space engineering, before joining a graduate training program at Astrium, the satellite company I had visited years before. I spent three years installing a new control center for some communications satellites, and preparing for their launch, loving every moment of my work. But as I learned that the European Space Agency (ESA) was going to become part of the International Space Station (ISS) and was preparing to launch a new scientific laboratory into orbit called Columbus, I became restless and started thinking about how I could be a part of the program.

  When I saw an ad for an instructor at the Columbus Control Centre in Germany, I applied and was very excited when I was asked to visit for an interview. After being quizzed on my abilities, I was given a tour of the facility. As my guide held his pass up to enter the control room, my heart raced. When I stepped into the cavernous room, I had the same feeling I had had a decade earlier in Houston—the peace and tranquility of a control room, bathed in the glow of dozens of computer monitors, the beating heart of a space mission. Though I spoke no German and had no clue what moving to continental Europe would involve, when they offered me the job I knew I had to take it.

  As soon as I began training flight controllers, I told anyone who would listen that I wanted to be one myself, and that one day I wanted to be a flight director. My managers took note and my tenacity paid off—before long, I was going through the months of intense training. I finally took my seat in mission control as a data and communications flight controller. Three years later my impossible dream became a reality—I was in charge of a control room, overseeing day-to-day operations as a Columbus flight director.

  My job brought together two of my great passions: solving puzzles, and space. I led the mission control team during shifts, keeping the crew and the spacecraft safe while we worked to help them accomplish their daily planned activities. I relished simulations, when we were challenged with problem after problem. Most days in the simulated version of the space station ended with experiments that refused to work properly, malfunctioning life support and data systems, and often a fire or a water leak. The practices made sure we could handle real problems confidently and safely, and help the crew get the science experiments done every day.

  I was just thirty years old, with the job of my dreams. What on earth would I do next?

  In 2013, on vacation with a friend, I was waiting in the baggage claim hall at Munich Airport and idly scrolling through Twitter. Suddenly I squealed. My friend looked over quizzically. “Tim Peake is going to space!” I all but shouted across the airport. In November 2012, the UK government had somewhat unexpectedly decided to contribute to the ISS. Just six months later, much sooner than I had thought would happen, Tim Peake had been assigned a flight—finally a second astronaut representing the UK was going into space. I simply had to be part of the mission.

  When the UK Space Agency advertised for someone to manage their education and outreach program for Tim’s flight, I knew, just knew, that the job was perfect for me. Throughout my career, I had always believed that the inspirational value that space, and particularly astronauts, gives young children is priceless. Although I didn’t have all the qualifications listed, I applied, hopeful that if I could just get an interview I could show them what they were missing.

  One dreary December day I made my way to the UK Space Agency in Swindon. I had done my homework and came with a vision for a space education program like nothing before. A few weeks later, my preparation and passion paid off and to my utter elation, I was offered the job. The Union Jack was on an astronaut’s arm once more, a
nd supported by colleagues from the UK Space Agency and a host of other organizations, we planned and delivered a hugely successful educational program—determined that children from all around the country would have the opportunity to learn and be inspired by science and space.

  I now manage human spaceflight and microgravity science in the UK, something that throughout my life seemed unimaginable for anyone to do, let alone me. Today though, space isn’t just for those in the United States or Russia; it is a worldwide industry that underpins everyday life, from weather forecasting to satellite navigation, communications to exploring the solar system. The sector is growing and needs young people to follow their dreams and join it.

  I’ve never lost sight of my own dreams, have seized every opportunity, and always worked as hard as possible to do my very best. I’m so proud of all I’ve done in my career, but some of my most treasured achievements are from life outside of work. I was terrible at languages, my English teachers despaired of me, and I was always the last to be picked for any sports team. Since then I’ve moved to another country and learned to speak the language, I’ve run the London Marathon—twice—and now, to my amazement, I’ve written a book. With hard work and determination anyone can achieve anything they set their mind to.

  This book, so beautifully illustrated by students from the London College of Communication, tells the extraordinary stories of more than fifty talented and heroic women from throughout history who have all played their part in humankind’s journey into the stars above. In a field that has historically been dominated by men, it is vitally important to celebrate the achievements and contributions of women to remind us all, particularly young people, that anyone can follow their dreams into the world of space. The historical dominance of the United States and the Soviet Union in the early days of exploration mean that many of the women featured are from these countries, but this is not a reflection of the industry today. Space is by its very definition an international arena and in such a large undertaking, countries find that working together can be much more beneficial to all.

  There are, of course, thousands of women worldwide who play and have played vital roles in the story of human spaceflight, and to pick out just fifty stories for this book was incredibly difficult. Many more engineers, scientists, doctors, lawyers, managers, technicians, astronauts and people in countless other jobs have made superb contributions, and the fact that they are not included here is no reflection on their abilities or achievements.