By Nicolle Zellner
On April 12, the United Nations celebrated the International Day of Human Spaceflight in honor of Yuri Gagarin, a Soviet citizen. who conducted the first human space flight. This historic event opened the way for space exploration for the benefit of all humanity.
NASA has been the leader of human spaceflight in the United States, and women at all of the NASA centers and facilities have worked – for decades – to support those efforts. Here are just a few of them.
Teresa Kinney, NASA’s first female chief engineer at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center (KSC), is one of the managers working to put the Gateway lunar space station together in orbit around the Moon later in the 2020s. She says, “”If everybody thinks alike, you’re not thinking about the problem correctly.”
Read more at
https://www.space.com/nasa-1st-female-chief-engineer-gateway-moon
Kari Alvarado, is the lead management analyst and Dryden Aeronautical Test Range (DATR) asset manager at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, CA. Her advice? Never compare yourself to others. Only compare yourself to you and your own potential.”
Read more at
https://www.nasa.gov/centers-and-facilities/armstrong/womens-history-month-meet-kari-alvarado/
Gwendolyn Wheatle currently serves as the Administrative Assistant for the Office of STEM Engagement at NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, VA. What started as a temporary, three-week clerical position supporting the Office of the Chief Scientist has blossomed into a 38-year career at NASA. She reminds us that you don’t have to have a degree in engineering or science to hold a position at NASA – no matter your degree, background, or experience, there is a place for you.
Read more at
https://www.nasa.gov/centers-and-facilities/langley/langley-celebrates-womens-history-month-gwendolyn-wheatle/
Learn more! Women are making history at NASA every day, as the agency continues to drive innovation and push the envelope. Learn more at https://www.nasa.gov/women-at-nasa/.