CHAPTER ONE EXPLORING OUR WORLD AND BEYOND what do you picture when you hear the word explorer You may think of adventurous men who lived hundreds of years ago and sailed their ships across the seas Or you might picture the astronauts who walked on the moon in 1969 Most of history's famous explorers were men But women have made pioneering explorations too Many of today's explorers are women These scientists and Women explore and study the remote regions of planet our
adventurers make amazing discoveries Some explore Earth’s surface Others dive deep into the oceans And some blast into space on powerful rockets Giant Leaps for Womankind Today more women than ever are entering science technology engineering and math STEM fields These fields include physical science and Earth science These two areas of study are central to exploring our world More than half of the women who earned STEM college degrees in 2009 majored 6 IN THE REAL WORLD Careers in Exploration Explorers are making exciting discoveries in many fields Here are just a few of them Geologists study Earth’s natural processes Their work helps predict disasters such as earthquakes and landslides This can save lives Deep-sea biologists study life far beneath the ocean’s surface Marine geologists study the ocean floor They try to predict where volcanoes will emerge Planetary astronomers study other planets Solar astronomers study Earth’s sun Stellar astronomers study other stars
Studying hard in science classes helps prepare young women for careers in exploration in physical and Earth sciences They studied subjects such as astronomy geology and physics STEM graduates are finding careers in higher numbers too Many work at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration NASA NASA has hired large numbers of women in recent years In 2013 37 percent of the space agency’s new employees 7
