LIVING OUT OF THIS WORLD Sue Horne part in events to inspire others about at the UK Space Agency, she is space exploration and science in responsible for setting UK strategy general. ‘We should push forward not in consultation with scientists only our own individual boundaries, and industry, and representing Women in space but also the boundaries of what UK interests at the European humans believe is possible,’ she says. Space Agency. ‘Space exploration On 20 July 1969, Neil Armstrong took the first step on the moon. But women Women are still pushing those is about exploring locations where boundaries. Experienced US astronaut, humans may work and live, such have also played a crucial part in space travel, as Caroline Roberts reports Sunita Williams – only the second as the moon, Mars and asteroids,’ woman to take command of the she explains. International Space Station – is due amazing. It’s like that feeling you to make another visit there as a crew LIFE ON MARS get in your stomach when you go over alf a century ago, people member on the inaugural flight of the A major project is the ExoMars a road bridge in a car, but it goes on Sunita Williams across the world watched new Boeing Starliner scheduled to programme, which will look for for about 30 seconds. That was a job in awe as those grainy, launch later this year. Dubbed a ‘space evidence of past life on the Red Planet. highlight, along with being awarded black and white pictures taxi’, the Starliner will eventually offer Fittingly, the surface rover due to be the MBE for services to space. And I flickered onto our seats to space tourists – provided they launched in 2020 is named in honour of have to give the Clangers a mention. screens. Then they looked up at the have around £40 million to spare. Rosalind Franklin, a key contributor to I knit them for a bit of stress relief – Hmoon and marvelled that men were the understanding of DNA. ‘She worked and they’ve become agency mascots. walking on its surface. It may have been ROCKET SCIENCE in the life sciences and has been I have a picture of Tim Peake on the a man who took that momentous first Space travel may be limited to the few, overlooked in the past, and we wanted International Space Station with one step, but few realised at the time that but opportunities in the wider industry to name it after a woman,’ says Sue. of my Clangers.’ women were instrumental in putting are endless, says Kathie Bowden, who Has she ever fancied venturing into Some think space exploration is a him there. promotes skills and careers at the UK space herself? ‘No, because I’ve been waste of money, Sue says, but it inspires It wasn’t until 2016 that the film Space Agency. ‘It’s not just about firing to a satellite launch where the rocket the next generation of scientists and Hidden Figures brought to wider pieces of high-tech kit into space, it’s exploded, so being bolted onto one brings benefits worth 10 times the attention the role of the mainly about interpreting all the data we get doesn’t appeal,’ she laughs. ‘But I’ve money spent in terms of medical African-American female ‘computers’ from them.’ been on a parabolic flight where you and technological spin-offs. And then who had toiled over the complex There are almost 5,000 satellites experience zero gravity, and that was there’s the big question: is anyone out equations that enabled the country’s orbiting the planet transmitting there? ‘If we find evidence there’s been early space flights. Among them communications signals, operating Kathie life on Mars, it will fundamentally was the brilliant mathematician GPS systems and enabling us to Bowden change our perspective on things. Katherine Johnson, who calculated monitor an array of things, such We’re starting to understand that the flight trajectories for America’s as the environment and climate where there’s a star, there’s likely to first manned space missions in change. Many female engineers be planets and, if we find life in other the early 1960s, and later for the and scientists already work in places in our solar system, it has to be moon landings. space-related fields, but still more are occurring elsewhere.’ And a woman had already orbited needed, says Kathie. ‘Women bring a Plans are taking shape for a human the Earth. In June 1963, the Soviet lot to the industry as they often work mission to Mars in the next 20 years, Union’s Valentina Tereshkova, a very well collaboratively. You need and there are sure to be plenty of 26-year-old former factory worker, been in real danger of spinning off into giant Mars. But in 1989 she happened teams of people with different skills female astronauts up for the trip. blasted off for a three-day mission. outer space as engineers had forgotten to catch a radio advert that was to to build complex pieces of equipment. As Helen Sharman says, ‘If I knew On her return, she was jettisoned to programme the craft for her descent. change her life: ‘Astronaut wanted, no Women tend to be very good at that I could return, I would do it in an from her craft at a height of seven Fortunately, Valentina spotted the experience necessary.’ After a rigorous kind of teamwork.’ instant.’ Before too long there may be kilometres and parachuted back mistake and it was corrected. selection process, Helen was chosen Sue Horne knows all about working a footprint on the Red Planet, and this down to Earth to be met with a In the USA, aspiring female from among 13,000 applicants and, in a team. As head of space exploration time it could be that of a woman. hero’s welcome. But things could astronauts had to wait a further in 1991, at the age of 27, became the have turned out very differently. 20 years. In 1983, Sally Ride joined the first Briton in space. Project Juno, her Years later it emerged that she had crew of the space shuttle Challenger seven-day mission to the Mir space Helen and became the first American woman station, was a collaborative effort Sharman in space. She was followed by a handful between British companies and the It may have been a Marking the moon landing of others and, as the decade drew to a Soviet space agency. While aboard, she man who took that close, the UK got in on the act. carried out scientific experiments and Fiftieth anniversary events include: in Cheshire, including the ‘One Giant chatted with British schoolchildren • the Moon Festival in London from 19-26 Leap’ talk especially for groups. www. first step, but women SHOOTING STAR via a radio link. July, involving art exhibitions, music and jodrellbank.net/moon-landing-50th were instrumental in The closest Sheffield-born chemist Today, Helen works in the chemistry science talks. www.moonfestival.co.uk • a talk by Helen Sharman at Helen Sharman had come to space department of London’s Imperial • a series of events throughout the Birmingham Town Hall on 22 June. putting him there was working at the confectionery College, and still gives talks and takes year at Jodrell Bank Discovery Centre www.thsh.co.uk Alamy 30 THE-TG.COM SUMMER 2019 SUMMER 2019 THE-TG.COM 31 .