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Space history can feel like nothing but mission numbers and acronyms, but the best way to remember it is through people who made the impossible possible. These five astronauts didn’t just go up and come back down; they’re women who shifted expectations, expanded what “normal” looks like in a flight suit, and gave the rest of us a reason to stare at the night sky with a little extra respect.
Sally Ride
When Sally Ride launched on STS-7 in 1983, she became the first American woman in space. As you can imagine, the milestone still lands with real force today. Her calm competence also helped make the idea of women flying missions feel less like a headline and more like a standard.
Mae Jemison
Mae Jemison already brought an extraordinary blend of engineering and medicine to NASA, but she then made history in 1992 as the first African American woman to travel into space on STS-47. If you’ve ever wished STEM role models came with more range and charisma, she easily delivers both.
Eileen Collins
Eileen Collins was in a league of her own. She became the first woman to pilot a Space Shuttle (STS-63, 1995) and later the first woman to command a Shuttle mission (STS-93, 1999). Her career reads like a “firsts” checklist, only with more rocket noise.
Peggy Whitson
NASA on The Commons on Wikimedia
Peggy Whitson is the kind of astronaut who makes records look routine. Across her NASA missions, she accumulated 665 days in space—more than any other woman—and completed ten spacewalks totaling over 60 hours.
Christina Koch
Christina Koch set the record for the longest single spaceflight by a woman, spending 328 days in space. To top it all off, she also took part in the first all-female spacewalk. She’s even slated for Artemis II, which means her story is still very much in progress.
