The Badge Archive

Female Space Trailblazers

Activity Description: Discover inspiring women who’ve shaped space science.

Info Needed Daisy Space Science: Stars are big balls of hot gas that shine in the sky, even though they look tiny from Earth. We see stars at night because the sun’s light doesn’t block them. Stars form patterns called constellations, which people have named and imagined stories about for thousands of years. Telescopes help us see stars better.

Heliophysics

Study of the Sun and space weather

  • Henrietta Swan Leavitt (1868–1921) – Deaf astronomer whose work on variable stars helped measure cosmic distances
  • Dr. Madhulika Guhathakurta (1958–) – NASA scientist and mission designer in the Heliophysics Division
  • Mae Jemison (1956–) – First African American woman in space; flew aboard Endeavour in 1992
  • Sally Ride (1951–2012) – First American woman in space; later led science education initiatives and worked on the Challenger investigation
  • Victoria Garcia (1980s–) – Deaf NASA engineer advocating for accessibility in science

Planetary Science

Study of planets, moons, asteroids, and comets

  • Dr. Nathalie A. Cabrol (1963–) – Director of the Carl Sagan Center; leads Mars and astrobiology research
  • Caroline Herschel (1750–1848) – Discovered comets and cataloged nebulae; first woman awarded the RAS Gold Medal
  • Mae Jemison (1956–) – Also contributed to planetary outreach and education
  • Victoria Garcia (1980s–) – Works on robotic systems for planetary missions

Earth Science

Study of Earth’s systems from space

  • Margaret (Maggi) Glasscoe (1970s–) – Geophysicist at JPL; models crustal movement and post-earthquake responses
  • Mary J. Lobo (1960s–) – NASA engineer focused on technology development and transfer at Glenn Research Center
  • Sally Ride (1951–2012) – Advocated for Earth science education through Sally Ride Science

Astrophysics

Study of stars, galaxies, dark matter, and the universe

  • Annie Jump Cannon (1863–1941) – Classified over 225,000 stars; developed the OBAFGKM spectral system
  • Eileen Drake (1960s–) – CEO of Aerojet Rocketdyne; leads propulsion systems for space missions
  • Ginni Rometty (1957–) – Former IBM CEO; advanced AI and cloud computing in support of space science
  • Jill Cornell Tarter (1944–) – SETI pioneer and inspiration for the film Contact
  • Dr. Kimberly Ennico Smith (1970s–) – NASA astrophysicist; contributed to New Horizons and SOFIA missions
  • Ursula M. Burns (1958–) – Former CEO of Xerox and current tech industry leader; supports astrophysics outreach
Tia Kennard