This book tells the fascinating stories of the valiant women who broke down barriers to join the space program. Beginning with the orbital flight of USSR cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova in 1963, they became players in the greatest adventure of our time. The author contextualizes their accomplishments in light of the political and cultural climate, from the Cold War in the background to the changing status of women in society at large during the Seventies.

The book includes the biographies of, and in some cases interviews with, the sixty women who flew in space in the first half century of space history. It reports their achievements and some little known details. The result is a gallery of pioneering women who reached for the stars: women who, with exceptional skill, hard work, and dedication, reached impressive careers as accomplished pilots, researchers, and engineers; many are now in high level managerial positions both at NASA or in public and private organizations, and all left a legacy of strength.

Umberto Cavallaro is editor of AD*ASTRA, the quarterly Journal of AS.IT.AF (Italian Astrophilately Society). His professional activity led him to cooperate for many years with ESA, the European Space Agency. Author of Propaganda e Pragmatismo in gara per la conquista della Luna (Propaganda& Pragmatism in race to the Moon Impremix, Torino 2011) and Donne nello Spazio (Women inSpace, Mursia, Milano 2015), he has translated into Italian several publications, including TheAll-American Boys by Walter Cunningham, an Apollo VII astronaut.

Foreword.- Preface.- 1 Valentina Tereshkova: the icon of Soviet female emancipation.- 2 Svetlana Savitskaya: twice in space the second Soviet first.- 3 Sally Ride: Americas pioneering woman in space.- 4 Judith Resnik: the second Shuttlenaut.- 5 Christa McAuliffe: NASA Teacher in Space.- 6 Kathryn D. Sullivan: the first American spacewalker.- 7 Anna Lee Fisher: the first mother in space.- 8 Margaret Rhea Seddon.- 9 Shannon Lucid: the first American woman to participate in a long-duration mission.- 10 Bonnie J. Dunbar: the first female astrocosmonaut in history.- 11 Mary L. Cleave: flying at age 14.- 12 Ellen Baker: an internist physician on the Shuttle.- 13 Kathryn Thornton: the Space Walker Mom.- 14 Marsha Ivins: aspiring astronaut at 19.- 15 Linda M. Godwin.- 16 Helen Sharman: the first Briton in space.- 17 Tamara Jernigan: an astrophysicist out among the stars.- 18 Millie Hughes-Fulford: the first female payload specialist.- 19 Roberta Bondar: the pioneer of space-medicine research.- 20 Nancy Jan Davis: growing up with the Saturn rockets.- 21 Mae Jemison: our limits are the stars.- 22 Susan J. Helms: three-star General.- 23 Ellen Ochoa: Reach for the stars and let nothing limit your potential!.- 24 Janice Voss: visits the International Space Station as a Cygnus Craft.- 25 Nancy Currie-Gregg: a passion for flying and concern for safety.- 26 Chiaki Mukai: the first Japanese astronaut.- 27 Elena Kondakova: the first woman to take part in a long-duration space mission.- 28 Eileen Collins: the first woman Shuttlenaut in the drivers seat.- 29 Wendy Lawrence: the first woman astronaut of the US Navy.- 30 Mary E. Weber: from skydiving to Stellar Strategies.- 31 Cady Coleman: the colonel playing the flute in space.- 32 Claudie Haigneré: the first European Space Agency female astronaut.- 33 Susan Still Kilrain: the second woman to ever pilot the Shuttle.- 34 Kalpana Chawla: the regret of not officially visiting her native country.- 35 Kathryn Hire: the first American woman assigned to a combat aircrew.- 36 Janet Kavandi: the rewards of perseverance and tenacity.- 37 Julie Payette: to assemble a ship in the ocean during a storm.- 38 Pamela Melroy: try to be true to yourself.- 39 Peggy Whitson: the first woman commander of the International Space Station.- 40 Sandra Magnus: soaring to new heights.- 41 Laurel B. Clark: from deep oceans to the stars.- 42 Stephanie Wilson: Madam Robotics Expert.- 43 Lisa Nowak: the first woman astronaut ever dismissed from NASA.- 44 Heidemarie Stefanyshyn-Piper: from diver to astronaut.- 45 Anousheh Ansari: the first Iranian spacewoman.- 46 Sunita Williams: a marathon runner in space.- 47 Joan Higginbotham: an unplanned adventure.- 48 Tracy Dyson: the lead vocalist for the all-astronaut band Max Q.- 49 Barbara Morgan: Ill fly with the eyes, ears, the heart and mind of a teacher.- 50 Yi So-yeon: Korean spaceflight participant.- 51 Karen Nyberg: the marathoner engineer who competes with the space station.- 52 Megan McArthur: an aerospace engineer riding a pedal-powered submarine.- 53 Nicole Stott: a steady flying passion.- 54 Dorothy Metcalf-Lindenburger: from Space Camp to space station.- 55 Naoko Yamazaki: astronaut for 4,088 days.- 56 Shannon Walker: the first native Houstonian astronaut to fly into space with Russians.- 57 Liu Yang: the first taikonaut.- 58 Wang Yaping: a live lesson from the Heavenly Palace.- 59 Elena Serova: the first Russian woman cosmonaut on the International Space Station.- 60 Samantha Cristoforetti: a new record for endurance in space for a woman.- Appendix 1: List of space missions participated in by Women spacefarers.- Appendix 2: Extravehicular activities.- Appendix 3: Military astronauts.- Appendix 4: Astronauts married to astronauts.- Glossary.- Bibliography.- Index.