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Astronauts: Women on the Final Frontier
In the graphic novel Women on the Final Frontier , Jim Ottaviani and illustrator Maris Wicks capture the great humor and incredible drive of Mary Cleave, Valentina Tereshkova, and the first women in space.
The U.S. may have put the first man on the moon, but it was the Soviet space program that made Valentina Tereshkova the first woman in space. It took years to catch up, but soon NASA’s first female astronauts were racing past milestones of their own. The trail-blazing women of Group 9, NASA’s first mixed gender class, had the challenging task of convincing the powers that be that a woman’s place is in space, but they discovered that NASA had plenty to learn about how to make space travel possible for everyone .
The U.S. may have put the first man on the moon, but it was the Soviet space program that made Valentina Tereshkova the first woman in space. It took years to catch up, but soon NASA’s first female astronauts were racing past milestones of their own. The trail-blazing women of Group 9, NASA’s first mixed gender class, had the challenging task of convincing the powers that be that a woman’s place is in space, but they discovered that NASA had plenty to learn about how to make space travel possible for everyone .
176 pages, Hardcover
First published February 4, 2020
About the author
Jim Ottaviani
23 books287 followersI've worked at news agencies and golf courses in the Chicagoland area, nuclear reactors in the U.S. and Japan, and libraries in Michigan. When I'm not staying up late writing comics about scientists, I'm spraining my ankles and flattening my feet by running on trails. Or I'm reading. I read a lot.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 181 reviews
March 5, 2020
There's a terrific scene here where a room full of future astronauts have been asked about a problem and they all agree on a probable solution. But ironically it's sorta bad that they all agree. What if everyone has the same blind spots? Pulling off a shuttle mission means solving a thousand different little problems a day, so diversity of thinking is crucial, and diversity of thinking arises from a diversity of backgrounds. That doesn't happen if all the shuttle crews continue to be Mercury-era cookie-cutter white American male test pilots. The shuttle really needed different experiences, genders, ages, cultures. Sometimes it's just a matter of being practical: women are awesome when every kilogram counts. Same resourceful human brain in a smaller body. I also loved the bit about how food crumbs had been a nagging issue throughout the space program, but because the crew included a Mexican scientist who--in addition to carrying out invaluable science experiments--preferred tortillas, it dawned on all the Americans how much more practical tortillas were for a zero-G environment. Also they make great space frisbees.
All in all, a fantastic read about the shuttle program and some of its pioneers. Jim Ottaviani executes his usual trick of transforming a comprehensive mountain of research into a tight, fun narrative about the human experience of going to space. And Maris Wicks' art is spectacular. This volume is a beauty.
All in all, a fantastic read about the shuttle program and some of its pioneers. Jim Ottaviani executes his usual trick of transforming a comprehensive mountain of research into a tight, fun narrative about the human experience of going to space. And Maris Wicks' art is spectacular. This volume is a beauty.
September 23, 2020
Astronaut Mary Cleave is the storyteller, telling some of her history and educational path that led to her work for NASA. One of her first "tests" to get into the Astronaut Corps was to fix some toilets in Headquarters.
I enjoyed this one, and Cleave's early adventures that spanned scientific fieldwork in the desert, as sea, and then in space. She flew on two spaceflights, and many other missions on the ground, going on to become Chief Scientist at NASA.
I enjoyed this one, and Cleave's early adventures that spanned scientific fieldwork in the desert, as sea, and then in space. She flew on two spaceflights, and many other missions on the ground, going on to become Chief Scientist at NASA.
September 4, 2020
Non-fiction graphic novel about the first women in space. I read about some of the women featured in this years ago for a book club pick: The Mercury 13: The True Story of Thirteen Women and the Dream of Space Flight.
More thoughts later.
More thoughts later.
April 25, 2020
Fun, funny and inspiring -- the best kind of history. Astronaut Mary Cleave is a great narrator for this exploration of female astronauts -- the ones who should have been and the ones were -- as the U.S. space program stumbled slowly toward diversity. Star Trek fans will love the Nichelle Nichols cameo.
February 28, 2020
I would have been such a big space kid when I was 11-12 if I knew about all these women. It's wonderful to read about them now!
January 4, 2024
Loved it 😊 how far women has come despite all the obstacles!!
Science explained without being overwhelming.
Science explained without being overwhelming.
May 22, 2022
First off, this book would be a great gift to young kids excited about space or just science in general. An even better gift for young girls.
The narrator, Dr. Mary Cleave gives an insight into the extensive training routines that astronauts have to go through. My respect for space scientists has increased manifold after having read this book. The artistic depictions of the rigorous training and comprehensive medical testing processes were some of my favourite portions. The book seemed to be well researched and illustrated; kudos to the authors. In conclusion, a compelling and inspiring read.
The narrator, Dr. Mary Cleave gives an insight into the extensive training routines that astronauts have to go through. My respect for space scientists has increased manifold after having read this book. The artistic depictions of the rigorous training and comprehensive medical testing processes were some of my favourite portions. The book seemed to be well researched and illustrated; kudos to the authors. In conclusion, a compelling and inspiring read.
March 30, 2020
Richie’s Picks: ASTRONAUTS: WOMEN ON THE FINAL FRONTIER by Jim Ottaviani and Maris Wicks, First Second, February 2020, 176p., ISBN: 978-1-62672-677-6
“We come and go like a comet
We are wanderers, are you anymore?”
-- Paul Kantner, “Starship” (1970)
“I started flying when I was fourteen because I was a strange little kid that kept playing with model airplanes and...anyway, my parents were great.
My mother’s brother was a pilot, and he was killed in World War II. He was the only flier in our family. But you know, I liked airplanes, and when I said I wanted to fly, my parents did a smart thing. They let me.
(Mother) ‘It’s expensive...so if you want to do this, make some money. Whatever you make, we’ll match.’
So I started babysitting and giving baton-twirling lessons and making money. My parents matched it, and I met Walt.
Walt was an Army Air Corps pilot and an instructor. We had the best time.
(Walt) ‘I’ve never taught someone to fly that couldn’t drive a car. No bad habits to unlearn. It’s great!’
It was great. but when I did finally get into a car the first time in driver’s ed., I scared everyone half to death.
(Mary) ‘Sorry, sorry. I gotta fight this feeling.’
(Driver’s Ed teacher) ‘What feeling?’
(Mary) ‘That I should be steering with my feet.’”
60% of licensed attorneys in the U.S. are now female. A majority of new MDs in America are also now female. A lot has changed over the past half-century. Before Title IX, women generally couldn’t gain entry to many of the country's most prestigious professional programs. Now they are on the verge of dominating these fields.
But flying airplanes and spaceships seems to still be a field in which men have maintained control. The latest statistics from the FAA Aeronautical Center show that only 6.6% of commercial airline pilots in the U.S. are women. And one might have a better shot at winning this week’s Lotto jackpot than becoming a female astronaut orbiting the planet.
Mary Cleve is one of the rare women who beat the odds through hard work and good luck.
ASTRONAUTS: WOMEN ON THE FINAL FRONTIER is the story of the women who have become part of space programs in the US and the former USSR. It’s a fun and notable graphic novel focused on the struggles and successes of women astronauts. Part of the focus is on Valentina Tereshkova, the Russian cosmonaut who, in 1963, was the first woman in space. Tereshkova remains the only woman to have completed a solo space mission.
The story is narrated from the point of view of now-former US astronaut Mary Cleve, who served on two space missions in the 1980s. There is a lot of great information here, but what makes the story particularly memorable are the accompanying illustrations. It’s exciting to see Mary and her co-crew members heading out to the launch pad for their trip into space.
“When we got out of the van, it zoomed away. Fast. And there was Atlantis. Our ride.
In all the simulations and all our practice runs, there were people everywhere. Now nobody was around but us. We’d never been to the ship when it was loaded with fuel and ready to go. Too dangerous.”
This is an exciting history. Some men, like the late John Glenn, take a bit of a hit for not being on the right side of things when it came to women in space. But Mary, Sally Ride, and other women have now pierced this barrier. I hope that the gender gap in both civil aviation and NASA’s programs will continue to narrow.
ASTRONAUTS: WOMEN ON THE FINAL FRONTIER is a stellar picture book for older readers.
Richie Partington, MLIS
Richie's Picks http://richiespicks.pbworks.com
https://www.facebook.com/richiespicks/
[email protected]
“We come and go like a comet
We are wanderers, are you anymore?”
-- Paul Kantner, “Starship” (1970)
“I started flying when I was fourteen because I was a strange little kid that kept playing with model airplanes and...anyway, my parents were great.
My mother’s brother was a pilot, and he was killed in World War II. He was the only flier in our family. But you know, I liked airplanes, and when I said I wanted to fly, my parents did a smart thing. They let me.
(Mother) ‘It’s expensive...so if you want to do this, make some money. Whatever you make, we’ll match.’
So I started babysitting and giving baton-twirling lessons and making money. My parents matched it, and I met Walt.
Walt was an Army Air Corps pilot and an instructor. We had the best time.
(Walt) ‘I’ve never taught someone to fly that couldn’t drive a car. No bad habits to unlearn. It’s great!’
It was great. but when I did finally get into a car the first time in driver’s ed., I scared everyone half to death.
(Mary) ‘Sorry, sorry. I gotta fight this feeling.’
(Driver’s Ed teacher) ‘What feeling?’
(Mary) ‘That I should be steering with my feet.’”
60% of licensed attorneys in the U.S. are now female. A majority of new MDs in America are also now female. A lot has changed over the past half-century. Before Title IX, women generally couldn’t gain entry to many of the country's most prestigious professional programs. Now they are on the verge of dominating these fields.
But flying airplanes and spaceships seems to still be a field in which men have maintained control. The latest statistics from the FAA Aeronautical Center show that only 6.6% of commercial airline pilots in the U.S. are women. And one might have a better shot at winning this week’s Lotto jackpot than becoming a female astronaut orbiting the planet.
Mary Cleve is one of the rare women who beat the odds through hard work and good luck.
ASTRONAUTS: WOMEN ON THE FINAL FRONTIER is the story of the women who have become part of space programs in the US and the former USSR. It’s a fun and notable graphic novel focused on the struggles and successes of women astronauts. Part of the focus is on Valentina Tereshkova, the Russian cosmonaut who, in 1963, was the first woman in space. Tereshkova remains the only woman to have completed a solo space mission.
The story is narrated from the point of view of now-former US astronaut Mary Cleve, who served on two space missions in the 1980s. There is a lot of great information here, but what makes the story particularly memorable are the accompanying illustrations. It’s exciting to see Mary and her co-crew members heading out to the launch pad for their trip into space.
“When we got out of the van, it zoomed away. Fast. And there was Atlantis. Our ride.
In all the simulations and all our practice runs, there were people everywhere. Now nobody was around but us. We’d never been to the ship when it was loaded with fuel and ready to go. Too dangerous.”
This is an exciting history. Some men, like the late John Glenn, take a bit of a hit for not being on the right side of things when it came to women in space. But Mary, Sally Ride, and other women have now pierced this barrier. I hope that the gender gap in both civil aviation and NASA’s programs will continue to narrow.
ASTRONAUTS: WOMEN ON THE FINAL FRONTIER is a stellar picture book for older readers.
Richie Partington, MLIS
Richie's Picks http://richiespicks.pbworks.com
https://www.facebook.com/richiespicks/
[email protected]
March 8, 2020
Loved this! Had just recently heard a podcast about the women from the early 60s. Too bad they were not allowed to compete! But loved this retelling from Mary Cleave's point of view. Terrific graphic story!
June 3, 2024
3.5 Stars!
“Women weigh less and consume less food and oxygen than men, important when every pound of humanity and life support systems is a grave obstacle in the cost of space vehicles. Women are more radiation resistant and less prone to heart attacks, and are less susceptible to monotony, loneliness, heat, cold, pain and noise.”
Stick that in your pipe and smoke it. This is an interesting enough story which also ties in well with a brief history of women in space science and travel. The art work is really nice and consistent throughout and strangely enough some of the finest panels can be found towards the end of this book when an astronaut is floating in space, still connected to a space shuttle, which captures some lovely angles which really make those scenes pop out.
February 3, 2020
I loved this book! The art. The depth. The science. There were several different arcs in the narrative that created an excellent pacing for the introduction of the main participants in the story. And the detail in these parts of the story is exactly what is needed for young people, all people for that matter, to latch on to this history. The key to this book is the depth. There is no dumbing down of the science or the story.
Astronauts belongs in all middle and high school libraries. Young women in STEM curriculums will eat this up, and it will bring more young people to science and tech careers. I already talked to the librarian and physics teacher at my school about this book!
For my full review: https://paulspicks.blog/2020/02/03/as...
For all my reviews: https://paulspicks.blog
Astronauts belongs in all middle and high school libraries. Young women in STEM curriculums will eat this up, and it will bring more young people to science and tech careers. I already talked to the librarian and physics teacher at my school about this book!
For my full review: https://paulspicks.blog/2020/02/03/as...
For all my reviews: https://paulspicks.blog
January 28, 2020
I honestly didn't know too much about space history besides the planets which is why I thought to pick up this book or why students might pick it up as well. It was super exciting to read about women in space and how that came to be. I really enjoyed that it was super descriptive about the astronaut selection process and requirements because it will provide teenage readers with an idea of what is expected if this is a dream of theirs. I also loved that they provided historical information to show how hard women fought to have an equal place in space. The illustrations were cool and colorful and it definitely helps that the book was illustrated or I would have had trouble understanding some of the information! I really loved it and think this was an excellent creative choice to present this information to younger and older readers alike.
November 28, 2020
3.5 stars adding an extra half star for my mom
This book, based on extensive interviews with Mary Cleave, tells the story of how she and other women made it to space in spite of the sexist attitudes of their day. This book is waaayy too long and technical for me. I'm not interested in space or STEM at all and I had no idea what Mary was talking about for 90% of the book. The title is a bit misleading as this is mostly Mary Cleave's story with an alternate storyline for Valentina Tereshkova in the beginning. I think girls of today who want to go to space will find this book more interesting than I did and learn what it takes to get there and what NASA astronauts do today. The deeply sexist attitudes of the 50s, 60s and 70s will upset young girls but it will provide them with a look at just how far we've come, even though it doesn't always feel like it. For me, the book picked up about halfway through when Mary finally joined NASA and prepared for her first space flight. The funniest parts were when the women used humor and intelligence to fight back against the ignorant and often sexist comments of the men. There's a hilarious moment when the women receive a kit of supplies to take into space. They were dismayed to be given a makeup kit, because the men ASSUMED the women would want makeup. The women politely explained some will and some won't. Then they opened the kit and found... 100 tampons. While the reader may LOL, Mary and the other woman used their intelligence to show the probability of women needing tampons in space as a mathematical equation.
The illustrations are cutesy comic style and are not really my thing but not terrible. I really hate the faux Cyrillic font used for the Russian text. The N is backwards and it's hard to read. That wasn't at all necessary. The Russians all sound terribly phony too. At the end of the book is a photo gallery of the diverse faces of NASA astronauts to compare to the illustrations. I especially liked the final section showing how the book was created.
I would recommend this to kids 12-14 who are wannabe astronauts.
ETA:
My mom read this and really enjoyed it. Being the same generation as Mary, she accepts the sexism as a matter of fact for the time. She thinks President Eisenhower's letter to little Mary was kind and she interpreted it as she was too young to join the astronaut corps and not that she was too female. I, being of the post-women's lib generation, feel the president could have been a lot more supportive of Mary's dreams. I would have phrased it like this "Dream big and do really well in school and maybe some day your dreams of going into space will come true." Blech. Men. :eyeroll: At least Mary developed a sense of humor about it and used that to clap back at the men later on.
Mom thinks this book may be a little too long and technical for a 12-year-old reader but IF she can get through it or IF she's serious about wanting to go into space, this book will tell her what she needs to know and she'll really enjoy it. Otherwise, she will only like the second half the way I did.
Dad thinks this sound like the kind of book he would have enjoyed as a space nerd kid, except, if it was about men. I pointed out that's kind of not the point because as a man, he would have been accepted into the space program! This book is about the WOMEN and the uphill battle they faced getting into space. (As a white man, my dad doesn't understand these things. He was raised by strong women who got their point across with a rolling pin or a ruler.)
This book, based on extensive interviews with Mary Cleave, tells the story of how she and other women made it to space in spite of the sexist attitudes of their day. This book is waaayy too long and technical for me. I'm not interested in space or STEM at all and I had no idea what Mary was talking about for 90% of the book. The title is a bit misleading as this is mostly Mary Cleave's story with an alternate storyline for Valentina Tereshkova in the beginning. I think girls of today who want to go to space will find this book more interesting than I did and learn what it takes to get there and what NASA astronauts do today. The deeply sexist attitudes of the 50s, 60s and 70s will upset young girls but it will provide them with a look at just how far we've come, even though it doesn't always feel like it. For me, the book picked up about halfway through when Mary finally joined NASA and prepared for her first space flight. The funniest parts were when the women used humor and intelligence to fight back against the ignorant and often sexist comments of the men. There's a hilarious moment when the women receive a kit of supplies to take into space. They were dismayed to be given a makeup kit, because the men ASSUMED the women would want makeup. The women politely explained some will and some won't. Then they opened the kit and found... 100 tampons. While the reader may LOL, Mary and the other woman used their intelligence to show the probability of women needing tampons in space as a mathematical equation.
The illustrations are cutesy comic style and are not really my thing but not terrible. I really hate the faux Cyrillic font used for the Russian text. The N is backwards and it's hard to read. That wasn't at all necessary. The Russians all sound terribly phony too. At the end of the book is a photo gallery of the diverse faces of NASA astronauts to compare to the illustrations. I especially liked the final section showing how the book was created.
I would recommend this to kids 12-14 who are wannabe astronauts.
ETA:
My mom read this and really enjoyed it. Being the same generation as Mary, she accepts the sexism as a matter of fact for the time. She thinks President Eisenhower's letter to little Mary was kind and she interpreted it as she was too young to join the astronaut corps and not that she was too female. I, being of the post-women's lib generation, feel the president could have been a lot more supportive of Mary's dreams. I would have phrased it like this "Dream big and do really well in school and maybe some day your dreams of going into space will come true." Blech. Men. :eyeroll: At least Mary developed a sense of humor about it and used that to clap back at the men later on.
Mom thinks this book may be a little too long and technical for a 12-year-old reader but IF she can get through it or IF she's serious about wanting to go into space, this book will tell her what she needs to know and she'll really enjoy it. Otherwise, she will only like the second half the way I did.
Dad thinks this sound like the kind of book he would have enjoyed as a space nerd kid, except, if it was about men. I pointed out that's kind of not the point because as a man, he would have been accepted into the space program! This book is about the WOMEN and the uphill battle they faced getting into space. (As a white man, my dad doesn't understand these things. He was raised by strong women who got their point across with a rolling pin or a ruler.)
August 20, 2020
This graphic novel looks at the experiences of female astronauts, centering on NASA astronaut and scientist Mary Cleave. As a child, she wrote a letter to President Eisenhower asking to join the Astronaut Corps. He wrote back graciously declining her offer. Her ambition remained and was eventually fulfilled. The book chronicles all the challenges that went into joining the space program, with a little side stop in the Soviet Union to tell the story of Valentina Ponomaryova, the first female in space. The bigger context of women joining the American space program naturally fits into Cleave's story as she works through school, the application process, and the training process in NASA.
The narrative is fascinating, whimsical, and delightful. Cleve can give an insider's view of the space program with a lot of nuance and fun anecdotes. Her first mission, on the Shuttle Atlantis, is told in detail toward the end of the book. The end includes the authors' list of resources and some book recommendations for further reading.
Highly recommended.
The narrative is fascinating, whimsical, and delightful. Cleve can give an insider's view of the space program with a lot of nuance and fun anecdotes. Her first mission, on the Shuttle Atlantis, is told in detail toward the end of the book. The end includes the authors' list of resources and some book recommendations for further reading.
Highly recommended.
June 23, 2020
Done as a narration by Astronaut Mary Cleave, this book goes over the history of women astronauts and cosmonauts.
Nicely done. Straightforward, fun in places, such as when scientists were trying to figure out how many tampons women astronauts would need, rather than asking them.
Nicely done. Straightforward, fun in places, such as when scientists were trying to figure out how many tampons women astronauts would need, rather than asking them.
November 11, 2020
Eu fico tão orgulhosa de ser uma mulher quando eu leio esse tipo de relato. Essa GP é incrível e toda baseada em fatos reais. Super recomendo.
July 22, 2024
I did learn some interesting facts (particularly how astronauts use tortillas in space instead of bread [lol]), but, overall, it was pretty inconsequential. There are better books about space and probably even women in space than this one.
October 26, 2020
A great story; not just a biography, but a whole history of women in space.
March 4, 2020
Astronauts: Women on the Final Frontier = AMAZING! Informative text with beautiful illustrations. I learned so much from reading this book! It isn't a long read, but it was jam packed with content. Since March is Women's History Month, this was the perfect time to read about what female astronauts endured during the process of being accepted to NASA, training, media attention, and launch. I will be giving a short review on this book for my co-workers this week and I am hoping to encourage them to give this a read.
January 13, 2022
Very informational. The information seemed to have overtaken the story a bit because when you read it, it's a bunch of complex info people would need background knowledge to understand. Still worth a read. I May read it a second time through to better understand it though. Definitely a graphic novel that takes longer than most to read. I do recommend this book especially to those interested in science & and astronomy.
March 1, 2020
Another amazing graphic novel from the duo of Ottaviani and Wicks. Told through the eyes of astronaut Mary Cleave - this novel looks at the history of women in space.
February 29, 2020
4 1/2 stars. Just great! I love that Jim and his co author are making a point of writing about women scientists. We need more illumination of the contributions women and people of color have made to science and exploration--too much focuses on white men only.
February 26, 2020
This is really well done. Tons of information, smooth pacing, just the right level of detail.
March 10, 2020
This is a really in-depth great graphic novel! It actually took me a few days to read because there is a lot of information.
January 24, 2020
A nonfiction graphic novel about the historic journey to space for women. The book looks at the first women who trained as astronauts and cosmonauts, and then follows the journey of Mary Cleave, one of the first American women to go into space, through her path to NASA, her training, and her experiences in space and afterward.
I know there is a book called Almost Astronauts that tells the story of the 13 American women who tested and trained to become astronauts but never got to go into space, but I’ve never read it. This book also touches on their story (though I’m sure Almost Astronauts goes into greater detail, and how they paved the way for women like Mary Cleave to actually go into space. I like that this book tells the story from the idea of women going into space through to present day. It was a great idea to extensively interview Mary Cleave and tell the story as if from her perspective since she was there pretty early in the time period when they decided to actually send women to space and then went on to a leadership position in NASA which she held until 2007. Her space career spanned the majority of the shuttle era of space flight. You get a good taste for what is involved in astronaut training and mission planning, what going into space is like, what they do in space, and what can follow a flight. She also talks a lot about what it was like to be some of the first women astronauts and the challenges they faced. I’ve read a couple books on space flight, but none have covered the shuttle era much and certainly not the journey of women into space. Most of them focus on the Apollo missions or first people in space. This was very informative and eye-opening. I’m definitely buying a copy for our library and recommending this to science buffs, biography fans, graphic novel fans, and students with their eyes on the skies or who like to dream big. A great read for middle grade on up.
Notes on content: One minor swear word. No sexual content. (They share the story of how many tampons male scientists initially estimated that women would need for a 10 day space flight, but it is just funny and not awkward or anything. How space toilets are used is also discussed but it is very well done and doesn’t show anything.) Space disasters are mentioned, but not shown.
I received an ARC of this title from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I know there is a book called Almost Astronauts that tells the story of the 13 American women who tested and trained to become astronauts but never got to go into space, but I’ve never read it. This book also touches on their story (though I’m sure Almost Astronauts goes into greater detail, and how they paved the way for women like Mary Cleave to actually go into space. I like that this book tells the story from the idea of women going into space through to present day. It was a great idea to extensively interview Mary Cleave and tell the story as if from her perspective since she was there pretty early in the time period when they decided to actually send women to space and then went on to a leadership position in NASA which she held until 2007. Her space career spanned the majority of the shuttle era of space flight. You get a good taste for what is involved in astronaut training and mission planning, what going into space is like, what they do in space, and what can follow a flight. She also talks a lot about what it was like to be some of the first women astronauts and the challenges they faced. I’ve read a couple books on space flight, but none have covered the shuttle era much and certainly not the journey of women into space. Most of them focus on the Apollo missions or first people in space. This was very informative and eye-opening. I’m definitely buying a copy for our library and recommending this to science buffs, biography fans, graphic novel fans, and students with their eyes on the skies or who like to dream big. A great read for middle grade on up.
Notes on content: One minor swear word. No sexual content. (They share the story of how many tampons male scientists initially estimated that women would need for a 10 day space flight, but it is just funny and not awkward or anything. How space toilets are used is also discussed but it is very well done and doesn’t show anything.) Space disasters are mentioned, but not shown.
I received an ARC of this title from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
February 18, 2020
A cool way to learn about the lesser-known and discussed role of women in the beginnings of the space discovery program. Graphic novel format makes the information accessible and interesting while also putting more of a story to a factual book. Recommended for young ones interested in space and learning more through a graphic novel format.
-Reviewed by Laura N.
-Reviewed by Laura N.
March 9, 2020
Astronauts: Women on the Final Frontier is a graphic novel that follows the story of women in space told through the slightly fictionalized perspective of Mary Cleave. Beginning during Mary’s childhood, the book charts the changes that happened within the space program that eventually allowed women to not only become astronauts but serve in many other vital roles as well.
The story primarily follows the American space program, but several sections focus on the Soviets, specifically around the time that Valentina Tereshkova became the first woman in space. It follows not only the personal journeys of women like the Mercury 13, Sally Ride, and Mary Cleave herself but also the political challenges that faced women in the early years of the space program. This means that Astronauts can be a frustrating read at times, but knowing there will be a positive outcome by the end makes it easier to push through these moments where the urge to throw the book at a wall and scream about the patriarchy is at its highest.
Astronauts was a really interesting read that succeeded in teaching me lots about these amazing women while never becoming dry and dull. The art style is cute and cartoony, using bright colors that really catch the eye and add to the feeling of fun and excitement throughout this story of exploration and determination. It will appeal to anyone interested in space, women in STEM, and will be an ideal gift to any young, budding astronauts.
The story primarily follows the American space program, but several sections focus on the Soviets, specifically around the time that Valentina Tereshkova became the first woman in space. It follows not only the personal journeys of women like the Mercury 13, Sally Ride, and Mary Cleave herself but also the political challenges that faced women in the early years of the space program. This means that Astronauts can be a frustrating read at times, but knowing there will be a positive outcome by the end makes it easier to push through these moments where the urge to throw the book at a wall and scream about the patriarchy is at its highest.
Astronauts was a really interesting read that succeeded in teaching me lots about these amazing women while never becoming dry and dull. The art style is cute and cartoony, using bright colors that really catch the eye and add to the feeling of fun and excitement throughout this story of exploration and determination. It will appeal to anyone interested in space, women in STEM, and will be an ideal gift to any young, budding astronauts.
January 28, 2020
I love the title of this book. I LOVE that the title isn't Women Astronauts. It's just Astronauts. Because it's not that Astronauts and men and Women Astronauts are something different. Right there, before you even open the book, you know this book's approach is somewhat different, in an awesome way.
This graphic novel traces the history of women in space, mostly at NASA, but also of Valentina Tereshkova, the Soviet Cosmonaut who went up in space way, way back before the US was even considering it. But eventually, decades later, the U.S. caught on that not only are women just as good astronauts as men, there are certain things women excel at. In fact, one of the biggest advantages to letting women into the astronaut pipeline is that it opened that pipeline to all sorts of people who weren't all just test pilots. So we have much more diversity of opinion and approach when it comes to problem-solving, than NASA used to have when everything looks like a nail because they'd only hire hammers.
We follow Mary Cleave as our narrator through the background, and then on her two missions, building the ISS. I loved this book! The science is accessible, the history is appalling, and the future is promising. For any budding young scientist--of either gender--who might be interested in space, this is a must-read.
This graphic novel traces the history of women in space, mostly at NASA, but also of Valentina Tereshkova, the Soviet Cosmonaut who went up in space way, way back before the US was even considering it. But eventually, decades later, the U.S. caught on that not only are women just as good astronauts as men, there are certain things women excel at. In fact, one of the biggest advantages to letting women into the astronaut pipeline is that it opened that pipeline to all sorts of people who weren't all just test pilots. So we have much more diversity of opinion and approach when it comes to problem-solving, than NASA used to have when everything looks like a nail because they'd only hire hammers.
We follow Mary Cleave as our narrator through the background, and then on her two missions, building the ISS. I loved this book! The science is accessible, the history is appalling, and the future is promising. For any budding young scientist--of either gender--who might be interested in space, this is a must-read.
December 14, 2019
Meet the first women to travel into space in this nonfiction graphic novel that has big appeal for Science Comics fans. Astronaut Dr. Mary Cleave navigates readers through the history of women and space travel, starting with the Soviet space program that made Valentina Tereshkova the first woman in space, and illustrates the long road American women had to take to get Group 9, NASA'S first mixed-gender class, to the stars.
The most frustrating thing about Astronauts is reading how seemingly determined the U.S. government was to keep women out of space. The graphic novel tells multiple stories from different points of view; the Mercury 13 and Women in Space Program both ended up going nowhere, while the Soviet Union focused on sending just one woman - Tereshkova - into space. (And she didn't even tell her mother before she went.) It's disheartening to read that science journalists imagined conversations between women - female scientists - and Mission Control consisting of, "this little thingamabob has jiggled off the gizmo". Even when NASA got it together and began recruiting women for the space program for real this time, their concerns about dress codes and complete ignorance of basic physiology left me frustrated and even more determined to get my STEM/STEAM programming firmly entrenched here at my library. The second half of the book, focusing more on Mary Cleave's space shuttle missions and NASA training, are a welcome relief. There are some great and hilarious anecdotes throughout, and Mary Cleave's love for space exploration and science comes through, making me hopeful that this book will inspire many, many kids. There are references, a bibliography, and working sketches.
The most frustrating thing about Astronauts is reading how seemingly determined the U.S. government was to keep women out of space. The graphic novel tells multiple stories from different points of view; the Mercury 13 and Women in Space Program both ended up going nowhere, while the Soviet Union focused on sending just one woman - Tereshkova - into space. (And she didn't even tell her mother before she went.) It's disheartening to read that science journalists imagined conversations between women - female scientists - and Mission Control consisting of, "this little thingamabob has jiggled off the gizmo". Even when NASA got it together and began recruiting women for the space program for real this time, their concerns about dress codes and complete ignorance of basic physiology left me frustrated and even more determined to get my STEM/STEAM programming firmly entrenched here at my library. The second half of the book, focusing more on Mary Cleave's space shuttle missions and NASA training, are a welcome relief. There are some great and hilarious anecdotes throughout, and Mary Cleave's love for space exploration and science comes through, making me hopeful that this book will inspire many, many kids. There are references, a bibliography, and working sketches.
February 5, 2020
4.5 stars
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