Women in space
The following is a list of some of the women who have ever traveled into space. We couldn't put all of
them, but we have chosen some of the most important or those who did more innovations.
Although the first woman flew into space in 1963, very early in crewed space exploration, it would not
be until almost twenty years later that another one flew. Female astronauts went on to become
commonplace in the 1980s.
Out of the 537 total space travelers, 60 have been women. There have been one each from France, India,
Italy, South Korea, and the United Kingdom; two each from Canada, China, and Japan; four from the
Soviet Union/Russia; and 45 from the United States. The time between the first male and first female
astronauts varied widely by country. The first astronauts from Britain, South Korea, and Iran were
women, while there was a two-year delay in Russia from the first man in space to the first woman in
space. The time between the first American man and first American woman in space was 22 years. For
China, this interval was almost eight and a half years, and for Italy, there was approximately twelve years.
A span of 19 years separated the first and second women in space. They were cosmonauts on the Vostok
6 and Soyuz T-7 missions. Though the Soviet Union sent the first two women into space, only four of the
women in space have been Russian or Soviet citizens. However, British, French, Italian, Iranian, and
South Korean women have all flown as part of the Soviet and Russian space programs. Similarly, women
from Canada, India, Japan, and America have all flown under the US space program. A span of one year
separated the first and second American women in space.
Gathering of current and past female NASA astronauts at Johnson
Space Center, September 2012. Seated (from left): Carolyn
Huntoon(JSC's first female director), Ellen Baker, Mary Cleave, Rhea
Seddon, Anna Fisher, Shannon Lucid, Ellen Ochoa, Sandra Magnus.
Standing (from left): Jeanette Epps, Mary Ellen Weber, Marsha Ivins,
Tracy Caldwell Dyson, Bonnie Dunbar, Tammy Jernigan, Cady
Coleman, Janet Kavandi, Serena Aunon, Kate Rubins, Stephanie
Wilson, Dottie Metcalf-Lindenburger, Megan McArthur, Karen
Nyberg, Lisa Nowak.