Women in Space - Following Valentina (Springer Praxis Books Space Exploration)

* This is the only book that provides the full story of the role of women in space exploration. * Previously unpublished photographs of various aspects of training and participation in spaceflights are included. * Personal interviews with female cosmonauts and astronauts. * Traces the history of female aviation milestones from the early part of the 20th Century to the current space programme. Table of contents......Page 7 Foreword......Page 13 Authors' preface......Page 16 Acknowledgements......Page 20 List of illustrations......Page 22 Prologue......Page 25 Astronomy in the ancient world......Page 28 The beginnings of modern astronomy......Page 29 'It simply will not do'......Page 30 Caroline Herschel......Page 31 Maria Mitchell......Page 32 British amateur astronomers......Page 33 A sheep, a duck and a chicken......Page 35 'She's actually been flying!'......Page 36 The first giant leaps......Page 37 Higher, further, faster......Page 38 With wings and engines......Page 39 Magnificent women in their flying machines......Page 40 The Great War in the air......Page 42 Barnstormers and wing-walkers......Page 44 The Roaring Twenties......Page 45 Trophies and races......Page 48 Aviation academics and attainments......Page 50 The road to the stratosphere......Page 51 Ascent into history......Page 52 Amy to Austraha......Page 53 Amelia across the Atlantic......Page 55 A shrinking world and a new war......Page 58 The Air Transport Auxiliary......Page 59 Women's Air Service Pilots......Page 61 Jackie Cochran......Page 62 Soviet female combat pilots......Page 64 Pancho Barnes and the Happy Bottom Riding Club......Page 66 References......Page 67 A Soviet woman in space......Page 69 A female cosmonaut......Page 70 The first female selection......Page 71 Training the cosmonauts......Page 74 A female pressure garment......Page 76 Progress towards launch......Page 77 Who would fly?......Page 79 The clock is counting......Page 83 Seagull ascending......Page 84 The flight programme......Page 86 The seagull lands......Page 88 A second spaceflight?......Page 90 Voskhod 5 and a female EVA?......Page 91 Following Valentina......Page 92 References......Page 93 The seven Mercury astronauts......Page 94 Dee O'Hara: nurse to the astronauts......Page 96 A 'girl astronaut' programme......Page 98 Ruth Nichols and the WADC 'astronaut tests'......Page 100 Betty Skelton and the 'astronaut tests' for LOOK magazine......Page 101 Jerrie Cobb and the Lovelace 'astronaut tests'......Page 105 The Lovelace class of 1961......Page 108 The House of Representatives......Page 112 I never said I was an astronaut!......Page 115 Women and the Gemini, Apollo and Skylab programmes......Page 117 Small steps for women......Page 122 The primary back-up crew: the astronaut family......Page 130 The 'astronauts' wives club'......Page 131 'Extremely pleased, honoured and proud'......Page 132 Hiding the anxiety......Page 133 References......Page 135 A new type of aeroplane......Page 138 Dr Eugen Sänger and his Silbervogel......Page 139 Dr Irene Bredt and the Racketenbomber......Page 140 Ainring and the Sänger–Bredt report......Page 142 The Sänger–Bredt antipodal rocket bomber......Page 143 Wings, rockets and wallpaper girls......Page 144 The bat......Page 145 Hanna Reitsch: German test-pilot......Page 146 Mach 1 and beyond......Page 151 Men were engineers; women were computers......Page 153 Brassières, capstans and rocket-plane pilots......Page 156 Alice King Chatham: the enigma......Page 159 David Clark Company and the two Jacquelines......Page 161 Margaret McGrew and the Mach 2.8 missile......Page 162 Evolution of the Space Shuttle......Page 163 Rose Lunn and the X-15......Page 164 Women at NASA FRC and the X-15......Page 165 Women at NASA FRC and wingless flight......Page 169 Enter Enterprise......Page 170 US clearance for females on Space Shuttle flights......Page 172 Nichelle Nichols and NASA's minority astronauts......Page 176 Spacelab......Page 181 Suiting up for the Shuttle......Page 186 Director of Johnson Space Center......Page 188 References......Page 189 SHUTTLENAUTS......Page 192 Selecting for the Shuttle......Page 193 The first Shuttle selection process......Page 194 Twenty-nine new guys and six new girls......Page 197 Follow-on selections, 1980–90......Page 199 New roles for new astronauts......Page 202 Seats to spare?......Page 205 Ascan training......Page 207 The first Ascans......Page 208 Training to survive......Page 209 Technical training......Page 211 Technical assignments......Page 212 Pilot-pool training......Page 214 Shuttle crew training......Page 217 Astronaut Office branch office assignments......Page 218 References......Page 219 SALLY AND SVETLANA......Page 221 The first assignments......Page 222 The Soviet response......Page 223 A varied selection......Page 224 Svetlana, Soyuz and Salyut......Page 227 Experiments to perform......Page 228 No special privileges......Page 229 After the flight......Page 231 Sitting next to Sally......Page 232 Preparing to fly......Page 233 Sally Ride: from sport to space......Page 235 'Isn't science wonderful?'......Page 236 Female shuttlenauts......Page 239 'Hi Dad'......Page 240 A well-behaved solar array......Page 241 'Don't fall in love with your mission'......Page 242 First American EVA......Page 243 STS 41-G and the first US female EVA......Page 244 Two up and two down......Page 245 Anna Fisher......Page 246 An exhausting exercise......Page 247 Rhea Seddon......Page 248 Girl Scout camp......Page 249 Shannon Lucid......Page 250 Mission accomplished......Page 251 References......Page 252 From the planet Earth......Page 254 A laboratory for space......Page 255 Manned spaceflight engineers......Page 257 International Shuttle candidates......Page 258 Spaceflight participants......Page 262 New NASA selections......Page 265 Triumph to tragedy......Page 267 A 'full-up' mission......Page 268 Cleave's comet......Page 269 A helping hand......Page 270 McAuliffe's ultimate field trip......Page 271 'The vehicle has exploded'......Page 272 After Challenger......Page 273 Return-to-Flight......Page 274 Launch after launch......Page 276 Probes and observatories......Page 277 The Shuttle–Mir years......Page 296 An all-female Salyut visiting mission......Page 308 Considering an all-female Shuttle mission......Page 310 The Shuttle–ISS years......Page 313 The end of an era......Page 320 Return to flight......Page 323 References......Page 324 STATIONS IN SPACE......Page 327 Soyuz T-8......Page 328 Soyuz T-12......Page 330 The first female steps into space......Page 331 The 1980 selection disbanded......Page 332 Journalist cosmonauts......Page 333 'Astronaut wanted – no experience necessary'......Page 336 New Russian female cosmonauts, 1989–2004......Page 338 The first female on Mir......Page 339 A Russian female long-duration mission – at last......Page 340 Back-up to Norm......Page 342 Two Yuris and a Shannon......Page 345 Entente cordiale......Page 348 'Too short' Lawrence......Page 350 Science with the second crew......Page 351 Seats on Soyuz......Page 353 Andromede......Page 354 The first ISS Science Officer......Page 356 Female space-station yuhangyuans?......Page 358 References......Page 359 An all-woman Mars crew?......Page 361 Bed rest experiments continue......Page 362 Family or space?......Page 363 The ISS and women's health......Page 364 From outer space to inner space: combating cancer......Page 365 From outer space to inner space: osteoporosis......Page 373 From outer space to inner space: ageing......Page 376 To boldly go.........Page 378 The journey continues......Page 384 References......Page 385 CONCLUSION......Page 388 Appendix 1 Spaceflight chronology, 1963–2003......Page 391 Appendix 2 Careers and experience......Page 398 Appendix 3 Spaceflight records and EVAs......Page 402 Appendix 4 NASA Shuttle missions with female crew-members, 1983–2004......Page 406 Glossary......Page 411 Bibliography......Page 414 B......Page 417 C......Page 418 G......Page 419 H......Page 420 L......Page 421 M......Page 422 Q......Page 423 S......Page 424 V......Page 425 Z......Page 426 "The story of women in space charts the pioneering aeronautical developments of the early decades of the 20th century to the very start of human space exploration, and on to the Shuttle and space station era. However, the story of women in space is not just about those who fly the missions, but also of those who work on the ground, or stay at home with the family." "In Women In Space - Following Valentina David Shayler and Ian Moule chronicle these missions into space, from the historic Vostok 6 in June 1963 to the tragedy of STS-107 40 years on. From the first pioneering steps, through the frustration and disappointments of the 1960s and 1970s, the triumphs and tragedies of the 1980s, to the current International Space Station programme, women have played a crucial role in the space programme, and this book celebrates their achievements."--Jacket Space exploration has developed from early, unmanned space probes through the pioneering years of the ‘Manned’ Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo missions, to missions that now include women in the crew as a matter of course. Dave Shayler tells the story of the first woman balloonist in 1784 to their breakthrough as astronauts and cosmonauts in a range of professional roles. He covers the contribution women have made to space exploration and draws on interviews with Shuttle and Mir crew members who were women. These interviews detail the achievements of the first female Shuttle commander and the first female resident crew member of the International Space Station. These and many other events are presented in a detailed and highly readable account that recalls the difficult path to space exploration by women. * This is the only book that provides the full story of the role of women in space exploration. * Previously unpublished photographs of various aspects of training and participation in spaceflights are included. * Personal interviews with female cosmonauts and astronauts. * Traces the history of female aviation milestones from the early part of the 20 th Century to the current space programme.