I really dig Apple TV+’s alt-world space race drama For All Mankind. However, it wasn’t exactly love at first sight. It took the arrival of the promo-promised female astronauts in the third episode for it to become the show I wanted it to be. Escalated cold war tensions and the increased threat of annihilation aside, there’s something attractive about seeing a reality in which women get to play a more prominent role in space exploration.
To the show’s credit, For All Mankind leans in hard. Many of the series’ main characters are intelligent, independent, and courageous women. Whether they’re on the moon or on the ground, characters like Tracy Stevens, Ellen Wilson, Margo Madison, Danielle Poole, Molly Cobb, Aleida Rosales, Karen Baldwin, and Helena Webster are all forging a new path in this version of world history. I can’t help but be jazzed by their stories.
The thing is though, in our reality, there’s actually a lot of equally impressive and inspirational women in the aerospace field with cool stories too. Unfortunately their names and contributions have mostly flown under the radar. Thankfully, they’re not all untold. British space exploration authority and author, Libby Jackson, shines light on many of these women in her book Galaxy Girls: 50 Amazing Stories of Women in Space.
So if you’re watching For All Mankind for any of the reasons I outlined above, I highly recommend checking out this book.
From the Small Screen to the Printed Page
As the name suggests, Jackson highlights fifty female scientists, mathematicians, wives, seamstress, engineers, programmers, pilots etc – all who have assisted and advanced our global understanding of space. Some names are immediately recognizable like The Mercury 7 Wives, Sally Ride (who actually appears in the second season of For All Mankind), and Katherine Goble Johnson & Mary Jackson who you may recall from Hidden Figures, but there are literally forty six more women featured in this book!
While it was shelved in the general non-fiction section of my local library, it seems to be geared towards a more YA audience, but I’m just going to go out on a limb and say it’s great read for a wide range of ages. Or more specifically for people like myself who’s knowledge of NASA and space exploration is pretty limited to pop culture. I personally loved paging through the various profiles and accompanying artwork, all of which were uniquely created by students of the London College of Communication.
The bios may be brief, but Galaxy Girls is undoubtedly a great jumping off point for going down a wikipedia rabbit hole or for finding future reading (or watching) materials. Some of the tidbits might even come in handy during a random trivia night, you never know. Either way, if you appreciate the fact that putting people in space is the ultimate team sport and want to know more about some of the unsung heroes who happen to be women, then this book is for you. Find it at your local library or on Amazon, or probably wherever else books are sold.
And if you haven’t seen the series, I don’t know what you’re doing here, but For All Mankind is a breath of fresh air in an otherwise crowded TV landscape of reboots, remakes, sequels, and prequels and you should watch it. Plus, we all know Ronald D. Moore has a real knack for setting TV series in space. You can find the first two seasons on Apple TV+; the third season is currently in production.
