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Women in Space Timeline
(1963 - Present)Women in Space chronicles the remarkable journey of female astronauts, cosmonauts, and scientists who broke barriers in space exploration. Beginning with Soviet cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova's groundbreaking flight in 1963, this timeline highlights key milestones including the first American woman in space (Sally Ride, 1983), the first woman to command a spacecraft (Eileen Collins), record-setting spacewalks by Peggy Whitson and Sunita Williams, and the growing role of women in modern missions to the International Space Station and beyond. More Less
Soviet Space Program
Valentina Tereshkova becomes first woman in space
Jun 16, 1963 - Jun 19, 1963
Soviet cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova flew aboard Vostok 6, becoming the first woman to travel to space. She orbited Earth 48 times over nearly three days, spending more time in space than all American astronauts combined up to that point. Her flight remains a landmark achievement in the history of human spaceflight.
Image source: Valentina Tereshkova
Svetlana Savitskaya becomes second woman in space
Aug 19, 1982 - Aug 27, 1982
Nineteen years after Tereshkova, Soviet cosmonaut Svetlana Savitskaya flew aboard Soyuz T-7 to the Salyut 7 space station, becoming the second woman in space. She returned to space in 1984 for a second mission.
Image source: Svetlana Savitskaya
Savitskaya performs first spacewalk by a woman
Jul 25, 1984
During her second flight aboard Salyut 7, Svetlana Savitskaya conducted a 3.5-hour extravehicular activity outside the station, becoming the first woman to perform a spacewalk. She also tested tools for orbital welding during the excursion.
NASA Milestones
Sally Ride becomes first American woman in space
Jun 18, 1983 - Jun 24, 1983
Physicist Sally Ride flew aboard Space Shuttle Challenger on STS-7, becoming the first American woman in space. At age 32 she was also the youngest American astronaut to fly at that time. Her mission broke barriers and inspired generations of women to pursue careers in science and engineering.
Image source: Sally Ride
Judith Resnik becomes second American woman in space
Aug 30, 1984 - Sep 5, 1984
Engineer Judith Resnik flew aboard Space Shuttle Discovery on STS 41-D, becoming the second American woman in space. She later died in the Challenger disaster in January 1986.
Image source: Judith Resnik
Kathryn Sullivan becomes first American woman to walk in space
Oct 11, 1984
Aboard Space Shuttle Challenger on STS 41-G, geologist Kathryn Sullivan performed a 3.5-hour spacewalk, becoming the first American woman to walk in space. She later became the first person of any gender to visit the Mariana Trench and walk in space.
Image source: Kathryn D. Sullivan
Christa McAuliffe selected as first Teacher in Space
Jul 19, 1985
Social studies teacher Christa McAuliffe was selected from more than 11,000 applicants as NASA's first Teacher in Space Project participant. She trained to fly aboard Challenger but tragically died when the shuttle broke apart shortly after launch on January 28, 1986.
Image source: Christa McAuliffe
Challenger disaster kills Judith Resnik and Christa McAuliffe
Jan 28, 1986
Space Shuttle Challenger broke apart 73 seconds after launch, killing all seven crew members including two women: mission specialist Judith Resnik and payload specialist Christa McAuliffe. The tragedy deeply affected public perception of spaceflight and led to major safety reforms at NASA.
Image source: Space Shuttle Challenger disaster
Mae Jemison becomes first Black woman in space
Sep 12, 1992 - Sep 20, 1992
Physician Mae Jemison flew aboard Space Shuttle Endeavour on STS-47, becoming the first African American woman to travel to space. A trained dancer and engineer as well as a doctor, she conducted experiments on motion sickness and bone cells during the eight-day Spacelab-J mission.
Image source: Mae Jemison
Eileen Collins becomes first female Space Shuttle pilot
Feb 3, 1995 - Feb 11, 1995
Air Force test pilot Eileen Collins served as pilot of Space Shuttle Discovery on STS-63, the first shuttle mission to rendezvous with the Russian Mir space station. She became the first woman to pilot a Space Shuttle.
Image source: Eileen Collins
Key Facts
- Valentina Tereshkova became the first woman in space on June 16, 1963, aboard Vostok 6, orbiting Earth 48 times.
- Sally Ride became the first American woman in space on June 18, 1983, flying aboard the Space Shuttle Challenger.
- Sunita Williams set records for the most spacewalk time by a woman, accumulating over 50 hours of extravehicular activity.
- Peggy Whitson holds the American record for most cumulative days in space, spending over 665 days across multiple missions.
- In October 2019, NASA conducted the first all-female spacewalk with astronauts Christina Koch and Jessica Meir.
Source
This Women in Space timeline was generated with the help of AI, using information found on the internet.
We work hard to keep these timelines accurate, but mistakes do get through. If you spot one, email us at [email protected] and we'll fix it for future visitors.
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