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Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
Yale historian Kevles (Naked to the Bone) does a superb job of describing the challenges faced by female astronauts since the beginning of the space age and viewing those challenges in light of the changing status of women in society at large. She argues that NASA's sexism, from its inception in 1958 until 1978, when it first accepted female astronaut candidates actually destined to go into space, reflected popular opinion. Pressure from the growing women's movement coupled with waning popular support for space exploration led NASA to open its ranks to women. Kevles and the numerous female astronauts she interviewed assert that once the decision was made to welcome women, NASA did so quite well. Institutional sexism was not overly common, although the behavior of some male astronauts often left much to be desired. Also looking at the U.S.S.R. (and later Russia), Kevles asserts that although Valentina Tereshkova was sent into orbit in 1963, women were neither accepted as equals nor treated fairly either institutionally or personally. Kevles describes many of the obstacles that were overcome by the 40 women who have been in space as well as the excitement associated with space travel. With 40 stories to be told, however, none are presented in great detail. Nonetheless, Kevles provides a fresh look at the U.S. attempt to explore space while reflecting on injustice at home. 8 pages of b&w photos.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Scientific American
"It was midnight at Cape Canaveral on July 18, 1999, and still hot and humid." The opening sentence takes us to a launch of the space shuttle Columbia--the first time in history that a woman, U.S. Air Force Lieutenant Eileen Collins, would be in command. The final pages describe Columbia's fatal flight in January 2003 with two female astronauts on board. And from beginning to end, this book is riveting. Meticulously researched, the story of women's struggle to gain a place in space is framed by the historical context of cold war competition and the American women's movement. Within this larger frame, the entire sweep of women's fight "to decide for themselves what risks they were willing to take" plays out: The first 13 women (the FLATS, or Fellow Lady Astronaut Trainees) who tried and failed to become astronauts in the early 1960s. The Soviet women cosmonauts, who faced their own version of sexism. At long last, in 1983, Sally Ride's historic flight. Right up to the present, when there are "so many women astronauts that few people recognize their names." References to popular culture--Barbarella, Star Trek, the criticism of Ride's shorts--are often as telling as the key events. It is a testament to the skill of Kevles, who teaches history at Yale University, that the story never slows or loses focus despite its scope and its many threads.
Yale historian Kevles (Naked to the Bone) does a superb job of describing the challenges faced by female astronauts since the beginning of the space age and viewing those challenges in light of the changing status of women in society at large. She argues that NASA's sexism, from its inception in 1958 until 1978, when it first accepted female astronaut candidates actually destined to go into space, reflected popular opinion. Pressure from the growing women's movement coupled with waning popular support for space exploration led NASA to open its ranks to women. Kevles and the numerous female astronauts she interviewed assert that once the decision was made to welcome women, NASA did so quite well. Institutional sexism was not overly common, although the behavior of some male astronauts often left much to be desired. Also looking at the U.S.S.R. (and later Russia), Kevles asserts that although Valentina Tereshkova was sent into orbit in 1963, women were neither accepted as equals nor treated fairly either institutionally or personally. Kevles describes many of the obstacles that were overcome by the 40 women who have been in space as well as the excitement associated with space travel. With 40 stories to be told, however, none are presented in great detail. Nonetheless, Kevles provides a fresh look at the U.S. attempt to explore space while reflecting on injustice at home. 8 pages of b&w photos.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Scientific American
"It was midnight at Cape Canaveral on July 18, 1999, and still hot and humid." The opening sentence takes us to a launch of the space shuttle Columbia--the first time in history that a woman, U.S. Air Force Lieutenant Eileen Collins, would be in command. The final pages describe Columbia's fatal flight in January 2003 with two female astronauts on board. And from beginning to end, this book is riveting. Meticulously researched, the story of women's struggle to gain a place in space is framed by the historical context of cold war competition and the American women's movement. Within this larger frame, the entire sweep of women's fight "to decide for themselves what risks they were willing to take" plays out: The first 13 women (the FLATS, or Fellow Lady Astronaut Trainees) who tried and failed to become astronauts in the early 1960s. The Soviet women cosmonauts, who faced their own version of sexism. At long last, in 1983, Sally Ride's historic flight. Right up to the present, when there are "so many women astronauts that few people recognize their names." References to popular culture--Barbarella, Star Trek, the criticism of Ride's shorts--are often as telling as the key events. It is a testament to the skill of Kevles, who teaches history at Yale University, that the story never slows or loses focus despite its scope and its many threads.
Editors of Scientific American
See all Editorial Reviews
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