American Women Astronauts

Vote for Your Favourite American Women Astronauts

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 1 
Sunita Williams
(American Astronaut Who Formerly Held the Record for the Most Spacewalks By a Woman)
Sunita Williams
18
Birthdate: September 19, 1965
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Euclid, Ohio, United States

Sunita Williams is an American US Navy officer and astronaut. She formerly held the records for most spacewalk time for a woman and most spacewalks by a woman. In 2007, she became the first person to run a marathon in space. She has several honors under her belt, including a NASA Spaceflight Medal, Humanitarian Service Medal, and Navy Commendation Medal.

 2 
Sally Ride
(The First American Woman and The Third Woman in Space)
Sally Ride
28
Birthdate: May 26, 1951
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Encino, Los Angeles, California, United States
Died: July 23, 2012
Astronaut and physicist Sally Ride was the first American woman and the youngest American astronaut to enter space. Following her death, it was revealed that she had been in a 27-year lesbian relationship with tennis player and professor Tam O'Shaughnessy. Sally herself was a ranked junior tennis player, too.
 3 
Christa McAuliffe
(American Astronaut Who was Killed on the Space Shuttle 'Challenger' on Mission STS-51-L)
Christa McAuliffe
14
Birthdate: September 2, 1948
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Boston, Massachusetts, United States
Died: January 28, 1986

Christa McAuliffe was an American astronaut and teacher who died while serving as a payload specialist on board Space Shuttle Challenger, which exploded during STS-51-L. McAuliffe was all set to become the first teacher in space as she was part of the NASA Teacher in Space Project. In 2004, she was posthumously honored with the Congressional Space Medal of Honor.

 4 
Mae Jemison
(First African American Woman To Travel To Space)
Mae Jemison
18
Birthdate: October 17, 1956
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Decatur, Alabama, United States

Former NASA astronaut Mae Jemison became the first Black woman to fly into space, as a mission specialist on the Space Shuttle Endeavour. A qualified physician, she has served as a Peace Corps doctor, too. She has written several books and established a non-profit and a tech research organization.

 5 
Kalpana Chawla
(Indian-Born American Astronaut Who Was the First Woman of Indian Origin to Go to Space)
Kalpana Chawla
18
Birthdate: March 17, 1962
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Karnal, Haryana, India
Died: February 1, 2003
Astronaut Kalpana Chawla became the first Indian-origin woman to go to space in the 1997 STS-87 mission. She and the other crew members of the Space Shuttle Columbia STS-107 mission died when the shuttle exploded before reaching Earth. The Indian weather satellite MetSat-1 was renamed Kalpana-1 in her honor.
 6 
Lisa Nowak
(Flight Engineer on Sts-121 and Former NASA Astronaut)
Lisa Nowak
12
Birthdate: May 10, 1963
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Washington, D.C., United States

Former NASA astronaut and U.S. Navy captain Lisa Nowak was part of the STS-121 mission. She made headlines when she apparently attempted to kidnap Air Force captain Colleen Shipman, who was getting into a relationship with astronaut William Oefelein, who had previously dated Nowak. Nowak was subsequently dismissed from NASA.

 7 
Judith Resnik
(Engineer)
Judith Resnik
9
Birthdate: April 5, 1949
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Akron, Ohio, United States
Died: January 28, 1986

Judith Resnik was an American software engineer, electrical engineer, pilot, biomedical engineer, and NASA astronaut. She was the fourth woman and the first Jewish woman in space, logging 145 hours in orbit. Resnik, who died during the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster in 1986, received several posthumous honors. Judith Resnik’s life and career inspired the 1990 TV movie Challenger.

 8 
Peggy Whitson
(Biochemistry Researcher and First Female Astronaut to Command the International Space Station)
Peggy Whitson
9
Birthdate: February 9, 1960
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Beaconsfield, Iowa, United States

The first woman to command the International Space Station, NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson was born to farmers and decided to become an astronaut after watching the moon landing on TV. She also boasts of a PhD in biochemistry and has been a researcher and educator of biochemistry and genetic engineering.

 9 
Jessica Meir
(American-Swedish Physiologist, Marine Biologist, and NASA Astronaut)
Jessica Meir
3
Birthdate: July 15, 1977
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Caribou, Maine, United States

Jessica Meir is an American-Swedish physiologist, marine biologist, and NASA astronaut. She is best known for her studies of the physiology of bar-headed geese and the behavior and diving physiology of emperor penguins. In 2020, Jessica Meir was named in Time magazine's Most Influential People list.

 10 
Anousheh Ansari
(American-Iranian engineer)
Anousheh Ansari
7
Birthdate: September 12, 1966
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Mashhad
 11 
Ellen Ochoa
(The First Hispanic Woman to Go to Space)
Ellen Ochoa
13
Birthdate: May 10, 1958
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Los Angeles, California, United States

Ellen Ochoa is an American engineer and classical flautist. A former astronaut, Ochoa was the first Hispanic woman in space. In 2012, she became the first Hispanic director of Johnson Space Center. Ochoa has won several prestigious awards including NASA's Distinguished Service Medal and Space Flight Medals. In 2017, she was inducted into the United States Astronaut Hall of Fame.

 12 
Barbara Morgan
(Astronaut, Teacher)
Barbara Morgan
7
Birthdate: November 28, 1951
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Fresno
 13 
Kathleen Rubins
(Astronaut, Biologist)
Kathleen Rubins
5
Birthdate: October 14, 1978
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Farmington

Kathleen Rubins is a microbiologist and NASA astronaut. In 2016, she became the 60th woman to fly in space when she launched on a Russian Soyuz spacecraft. She traveled to the International Space Station and returned to Earth after a few months. She has spent a total of 300 days, 1 hour, and 31 minutes in space. 

 14 
Anna Lee Fisher
(American Chemist, Emergency Physician and a Former NASA Astronaut)
Anna Lee Fisher
4
Birthdate: August 24, 1949
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: New York, New York, United States
 15 
Eileen Collins
(American Astronaut and Air Force colonel)
Eileen Collins
4
Birthdate: November 19, 1956
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Elmira, New York, United States
 16 
Laurel Clark
(Medical Doctor)
Laurel Clark
9
Birthdate: March 10, 1961
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Ames, Iowa, United States
Died: February 1, 2003
 17 
Karen L. Nyberg
(Astronaut, Engineer)
Karen L. Nyberg
4
Birthdate: October 7, 1969
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Parkers Prairie
 18 
Kathryn D. Sullivan
(US Oceanographer, Geologist, and Astronaut, Who Was the First American Woman to Walk in Space)
Kathryn D. Sullivan
6
Birthdate: October 3, 1951
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Paterson, New Jersey, United States

US oceanographer, geologist, and former US Navy officer and NASA astronaut Kathryn D. Sullivan scripted history in 1984 when she became the first woman from the US to walk in space. Apart from being part of 3 Space Shuttle missions, she also worked in various administrative posts at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

 19 
Tracy Caldwell Dyson
(American Chemist and NASA Astronaut)
Tracy Caldwell Dyson
4
Birthdate: August 14, 1969
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Arcadia, California, United States
 20 
Susan Helms
(Air force officer, Astronaut, Engineer)
Susan Helms
4
Birthdate: February 26, 1958
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Charlotte
 21 
Shannon Lucid
(American Biochemist and NASA Astronaut)
Shannon Lucid
5
Birthdate: January 14, 1943
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Shanghai, China

Shannon Lucid once held the record for the longest space stay by any woman and by any American. Born in China, to missionaries, she was imprisoned by the Japanese, along with her parents, as an infant. The family then moved to the U.S., where Lucid studied at the University of Oklahoma.

 22 
Catherine Coleman
(Chemist, Air force officer, Astronaut, Engineer)
Catherine Coleman
6
Birthdate: December 14, 1960
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Charleston
 23 
Jan Davis
(Astronaut)
Jan Davis
5
Birthdate: November 1, 1953
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Cocoa Beach, Florida, United States

Former American astronaut Jan Davis logged over 673 hours and 11 million miles in space and orbited the earth 445 times during her three Space Shuttle flights, STS-47, STS-60, STS-85. She worked for NASA for over two decades and thereafter served as a Vice President and Deputy General Manager for Jacobs Engineering Group. She presently works for Bastion Technologies, Inc.

 24 
Marsha Ivins
(American Retired Astronaut and Engineer)
Marsha Ivins
5
Birthdate: April 15, 1951
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Baltimore, Maryland, United States
 25 
Kathryn C. Thornton
(Former NASA Astronaut)
Kathryn C. Thornton
5
Birthdate: August 17, 1952
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Montgomery, Alabama, United States
 26 
Kathryn P. Hire
(Astronaut)
Kathryn P. Hire
4
Birthdate: August 26, 1959
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Mobile, Alabama, United States