Just like the ever-expanding universe, women in space are stretching boundaries. They are making scientific discoveries and inspiring future generations to explore the unknown. Let's take a closer look at some of NASA's most famous female astronauts and their achievements.

1. Sally Ride

A physicist, educator and, famously, the first American woman in space, Sally Ride is an icon. In June 1983, she rode the Challenger shuttle for Mission STS-7. She worked on a robotic arm that delivered satellites to space. Back on Earth, Ride pursued efforts to include more girls in math and science and ushered in the next generation of women in space.

2. Kathryn Sullivan

Kathryn Sullivan completed the first spacewalk by an American woman in 1984. Nearly 40 years ago, the Challenger carried Sullivan, an Earth scientist, into space for NASA's STS-41G mission. With Sally Ride as her crewmate, the duo made history, as it was the first time a space crew included two women.

3. Mae Jemison

Mae Jemison was the first African American woman in space. In 1992, she rode Endeavor for the STS-47 mission Spacelab-J, a cooperative mission between the United States and Japan. The eight-day flight involved microgravity investigations in materials and life sciences.

In the years since, she has taught at universities, continued a medical career and advocated for diversity and inclusion in STEM fields. Jemison recently told CBS News, "We need to take advantage of the full range of talent."

4. Shannon Lucid

Shannon Lucid was the first American woman to live in space and complete a long-duration mission. She was also the first woman to receive the Congressional Space Medal of Honor. In March 1996, she rode the shuttle Atlantis to the Russian Space Station Mir, joining the mission STS-76. Her four-and-a-half-month stay on the space station initiated a continuous U.S. presence in space for the next two years.

She later returned to the space station and contributed to life sciences and microgravity research. She participated in five orbiter missions, spent more than 223 days in flight and spent more than three decades at NASA.

5. Eileen Collins

Eileen Collins is famous for setting many records during her illustrious career. In 1995, she was the first woman pilot of a space shuttle mission (STS-63). Two years later, she was the first woman shuttle pilot to dock with a space station (STS-84 at Mir).

Collins was also the first female shuttle commander in 1999, as part of the STS-93 mission. She commanded a historic shuttle mission to the International Space Station in 2005 — the STS-114 mission was the first Return to Flight mission after the tragic loss of Columbia in 2003.

6. Peggy Whitson

Peggy Whitson has spent more time in space than any other American or any other woman, according to Space.com. She was the first woman to command the space station twice and the first woman and non-military head of NASA's astronaut office. Even after she retired from NASA in 2018, Whitson continued to break barriers as she became the first woman to command a private space mission (Axiom Space).

7. Ellen Ochoa

Ellen Ochoa became the first Hispanic woman in space in 1993. She was a mission specialist aboard the STS-56 flight of Discovery, a nine-day mission that collected data about how the sun's energy affects the ozone layer.

Her career included four missions, during which she served as flight engineer, robotic arm operator and the lead for science experiments. Ochoa spent nearly 1,000 hours in space, and her accomplishments continue on the ground. She was the first Latina to hold the prestigious position of director of the Johnson Space Center.

8. Christina Koch

Christina Koch completed the longest single mission by a woman. On the 59th expedition to the International Space Station, Koch was in space for 328 days, starting in 2019 and ending in 2020. Koch and the Expedition-59 crew observed bioengineered devices, tested free-flying robotic assistants and set up external science facilities.

9. Jessica Meir

Jessica Meir is a biologist who studies animals in extreme environments ranging from the ocean to outer space. In 2020, Meir and Koch completed the first all-female spacewalk. Her time on the International Space Station represents the most prolonged continuous female presence aboard the space station. NASA reports that she has spent 205 days in space, 3,280 orbits of Earth and a trip of 86.9 million miles.

All these famous female astronauts contributed to scientific discoveries and fundamental exploration. They were the first women in space but certainly not the last. Their legacies continue to inspire future space explorers. And NASA aims to land the first woman and person of color on the moon on the upcoming Artemis missions.

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