Online Author Talk | Valerie Neal: The History of US Women Astronauts

Join Valerie Neal, emerita curator from the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum and expert on human spaceflight, as she guides us through the history of US women astronautsas told in her book, On a Mission: The Smithsonian History of US Women Astronauts. Valerie interviewed many of the US women astronauts to bring their experiences to life. She offers a culturally insightful history of their achievements, the challenges they’ve faced, and their distinctive stories. Collectively, they’ve completed more than 100 space shuttle missions, and more than 30 long-duration stays on the International Space Station and Russian Space Station Mir, and they continue to prove themselves in present-day space exploration efforts.
On a Mission is an inspiring tribute to unsung women’s history.

You can register for this free, live, online talk here.
This is one of a series of free, live-streamed author talks made possible through the Library’s partnership with Library Speakers Consortium (LSC). You can learn more about upcoming presentations on our LSC microsite, as well as watch recordings of presentations that you were unable to attend live.

About the Author: Valerie Neal is a space historian and Curator Emerita at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum in Washington DC. Her specialty is human spaceflight, space technology, and space science in the Space Shuttle era and beyond.
Before joining the Museum, she was a writer and editor for some 25 NASA publications on Space Shuttle and Spacelab missions, the Hubble Space Telescope and other Great Observatories, space science, and NASA History. She participated in underwater astronaut training in Alabama and mission support in Houston for four Space Shuttle missions. She has taught American Studies and writing courses at multiple universities.
Valerie Neal holds Ph.D. and M.A. degrees in American Studies and a B.A. degree in English and History.