It’s been nearly 40 years since NASA astronaut Sally Ride became the first U.S. woman to go to space. Since then, women have made great strides in the field, breaking through barriers and making significant contributions to spaceflight.
Although the space industry is still mainly dominated by men, there are ongoing efforts for missions to be more inclusive. NASA wants to land the first woman on the Moon no earlier than 2025 as part of its Artemis 3 mission, and an increasing number of women astronauts are taking on the commander position in space.
NASA released a set of photos on Tuesday illustrating the progress made by women in the field thus far, and making room for more women in the near future.