All statistics valid as of July 2017. General Facts 59 different women total including cosmonauts, astronauts, payload specialists, and foreign nationals have flown in space. 4 different female cosmonauts have flown on the Soviet/Russian program: Valentina Tereshkova, Svetlana Savitskaya, Elena V. Kondakova, and Elena O. Serova 4 different female space flight participants have flown on the Soviet/Russian program: Helen Sharman, Claudie Haigneré (nee André-Deshays), Anousheh Ansari, and Yi So-yeon. 2 female astronauts or taikonauts have flown in the Chinese program 50 different women have flown with NASA. First woman in space Valentina Tereshkova - Vostok 6. June 16, 1963 First U.S. woman in space Sally Ride - STS-7. June 18-24, 1983 (She was the third woman in space overall after Valentina Tereshkova, above, and Svetlana Savitskaya, who flew on Soyuz T-7 August 19, 1982) First woman Space Shuttle commander Eileen Collins - STS-93. July 23-27, 1999. She commanded for a second time on STS-114 July 26, 2005 Pamela Melroy was the second woman commander on STS-120 October 23-November 7, 2007 First woman Space Station Expedition crew member Susan Helms - Expedition 2. March 2001 - August 2001 First woman to command the International Space Station (ISS) Peggy Whitson - Whitson completed a six month tour of duty aboard the International Space Station as the ISS Commander for Expedition 16 in April 2008. Sunita Williams was the second woman commander for Expedition 33 beginning on September 15, 2012. First woman to participate in an Extra-Vehicular Activity (EVA) Svetlana Savitskaya - Soyuz T-12. July 25, 1984 First U.S. woman to participate in an EVA Kathryn (Kathy) Sullivan - STS 41-G. October 11, 1984 Women Space Shuttle pilots Eileen Collins - was first woman pilot on STS-63 February 3-11, 1995. She returned as pilot on STS-84

Susan Still - STS-83, STS-94

Pamela Ann Melroy - STS 92, STS-112 Space Shuttle missions with more than one woman STS 41-G Kathryn D. Sullivan, Sally K. Ride

STS 51-L Judith A. Resnik, Sharon Christa McAuliffe

STS-34 Shannon W. Lucid, Ellen S. Baker

STS-32 Bonnie J. Dunbar, Marsha S. Ivins

STS-40 Tamara E. Jernigan, M. Rhea Seddon, Millie Hughes-Fulford

STS-50 Bonnie J. Dunbar, Ellen S. Baker

STS-47 N. Jan Davis, Mae C. Jemison

STS-57 Nancy J. Sherlock, Janice E. Voss

STS-58 M. Rhea Seddon, Shannon W. Lucid

STS-63 Eileen M. Collins, Janice E. Voss

STS-67 Tamara E. Jernigan, Wendy B. Lawrence

STS-71 Ellen S. Baker, Bonnie J. Dunbar

STS-70 Nancy Jane Currie, Mary Ellen Weber

STS-73 Kathryn C. Thornton, Catherine G. Coleman

STS-76 Shannon W. Lucid, Linda M. Godwin

STS-83 Susan L. Still, Janice E. Voss

STS-84 Eileen M. Collins, Elena V. Kondakova

STS-94 Susan L. Still, Janice E. Voss

STS-91 Wendy B. Lawrence, Janet L. Kavandi

STS-96 Ellen Ochoa, Tamara E. Jernigan, Julie Payette

STS-93 Eileen M. Collins, Catherine G. Coleman

STS-99 Janet L. Kavandi, Janice E. Voss

STS-101 Mary Ellen Weber, Susan J. Helms

STS-112 Pamela Melroy, Sandra Magnus

STS-107 Kalpana Chawla, Laurel Clark

STS-114 Eileen M. Collins, Wendy Lawrence

STS-121 Stephanie D. Wilson, Lisa M. Nowak

STS-116 Sunita Williams, Joan Higginbotham

STS-118 Barbara R. Morgan, Tracy E. Caldwell Dyson

STS-120 Pamela A. Melroy, Stephanie D. Wilson

STS-126 Heidemarie M. Stefanyshyn-Piper, Sandra H. Magnus

STS-131 Dorothy Metcalf-Lindenburger, Stephanie Wilson, Naoko Yamazaki

(The 4 women in space during this mission set a record for the most women in space at the same time,

including these three from the STS-131 crew along with NASA astronaut Tracy Caldwell Dyson who arrived on the ISS aboard Soyuz TMA-18) Women astronauts from Astronaut Classes of 1998, 2009, and 2013 who have not yet flown PATRICIA HILLIARD ROBERTSON (M.D.) (Deceased)

ASTRONAUT CLASS OF 1998

Died May 24, 2001 of injuries sustained in the crash of a private plane.

Served as the office representative for the Crew Healthcare System (CHeCS), and a Crew Support Astronaut (CSA) for the ISS Expedition 2 Crew. SERENA M. AUNON

ASTRONAUT CLASS OF 2009

JEANETTE J. EPPS

ASTRONAUT CLASS OF 2009

CHRISTINA M. HAMMOCK

ASTRONAUT CLASS OF 2013

NICOLE A. MANN

ASTRONAUT CLASS OF 2013

ANNE C. MCCLAIN

ASTRONAUT CLASS OF 2013

JESSICA U. MEIR

ASTRONAUT CLASS OF 2013

KAYLA BARRON

ASTRONAUT CLASS OF 2017

ZENA CARDMAN

ASTRONAUT CLASS OF 2017

JASMIN MOGHBELI

ASTRONAUT CLASS OF 2017

LORAL OHARA

ASTRONAUT CLASS OF 2017

JESSICA WATKINS

ASTRONAUT CLASS OF 2017

Information about individual female astronauts may be found at Johnson Spaceflight Center's Astronaut Biographies page. The History Office maintains a page about the First Lady Astronaut Trainees, or Mercury 13. Information about Eilene Galloway, who helped create NASA. Visit our new Women@NASA site to learn about the significant and varied roles women have played in the agency's history. Steve Garber, NASA History Web Curator

Site design by NASA HQ Printing & Design

For further information email hq-histinfo@nasa.gov

