Women of Nasa: past, present and future
Image credit: Rex Features
Women are seriously underrepresented in the space industry, at only 11 per cent of history’s space explorers. This could mean that the following list of inspirational women and girls are the ‘Hidden Figures’ of tomorrow. However, initiatives around the world are aiming to change that.
Samantha Cristoforetti is a European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut, Italian Air Force pilot and engineer. She holds the record for the longest uninterrupted spaceflight of a European astronaut, which stands at 199 days and 16 hours.
Image credit: Rex Features
Young student Mihaela uses the Space Station Mobility Trainer (on which astronauts train) at an international summer programme at Space Camp in Izmir, Turkey.
Image credit: Rex Features
Teenager Lauren gets ready for a simulated lunar walk during a space camp at the US Space & Rocket Center in Huntsville, Alabama.
Image credit: Rex Features
Italian scientist Francesca Esposito works on the meteorological payload for the ExoMars project. She tested the instruments in the Merzuga desert, Morocco.
Image credit: Rex Features
Mechanical engineer Emanuela Ciattaglia is assembly, integration and verification manager for the European Extremely Large Telescope (ELT) at the European Southern Observatory.
Image credit: Rex Features
Tamara Tezzele is a payload engineer, and has been working for the French Space Agency as satellite facilities manager for almost five years.
Image credit: Rex Features
Alyssa, Margie and Olivia wait for graduation ceremonies to begin at Space Camp, Huntsville, America.
Image credit: Rex Features
Linea, a student, waits for instruction from flight deck in the mission operations control room at Space Camp in Huntsville, USA.
Image credit: Rex Features
Astronomer Fatoumata Kebe of the Observatory of Paris, specialised in space debris and the remnants of human activity in space for her PhD thesis.
Image credit: Rex Features
Young student Brianna follows her script during a Moon mission as part of training for the role of base commander, Space Camp, Huntsville, USA.
Image credit: Rex Features
Teenagers Abigail Harrison and Kim Spummels give the thumbs up before a simulated shuttle mission during Space Camp, Huntsville, America.
Image credit: Rex Features
Kristiana, a young student, sits in the Five Degrees of Freedom chair, which simulates a frictionless environment, during a Space Camp in Izmir, Turkey.
Image credit: Rex Features
Engineering student Armelle at C’Space Biscarrosse, France.
Image credit: Rex Features
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