NASA astronaut Sunita Williams waves to well wishers as she leaves the Operations and Checkout building before heading to Space Launch Complex 41 to board the Boeing’s Starliner capsule atop an Atlas V rocket for a mission to the International Space Station at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Monday, May 6, 2024, in Cape Canaveral, Fla.
| Photo Credit: AP
Questions:
1. X has the distinction of being both the first Arab woman and first African woman to go to space. She flew to an altitude of 107 km as part of a mission flown by Blue Origin in 2022. Name X.
2. Y is a doctor and famous as the first woman from France to go to space, in 1996, when she conducted experiments on biology and physiology. She is also the first female astronaut given command of a Soyuz capsule during reentry. Name Y.
3. Z is a Chinese astronaut who in 2013 became the second woman from the country in space. She was also only one of two women in space on the 50th anniversary of the historic Vostok 6 mission. Name Z.
4. Aside from becoming the first person from Iran to go to space in 2006, ________ ______ is also the first female astronaut to fund her trip to the International Space Station. She also belongs to the ______ family, which sponsored a $10-million prize floated in 1996. Fill in the first two blanks.
5. Q is the only female astronaut currently in service at Roscosmos, the Russian space agency. In October 2022, she became the first Russian spacefarer to fly aboard SpaceX’s Crew Dragon capsule to the International Space Station. Name Q.
Visual:
Name this woman. She remains the youngest woman to have flown to space (at 26) and the only woman astronaut who’s undertaken a solo space mission.
Answers:
1. Sara Sabry
2. Claudie Haigneré
3. Wang Yipang
4. Anousheh Ansari
5. Anna Kikina
Visual: Valentina Tereshkova
