Searching Beyond the Stars: Seven Women in Science Take On Space's Biggest Questions
For all the women who have been told they couldn’t or shouldn’t and for my daughter Sara Never cruel or cowardly Never give up never give in N M For my family A K
TABLE OF CONTENTS OPENING UP THE UNIVERSE 2 NAVIGATING THIS BOOK 5 LEADING THE RACE KATHERINE JOHNSON TAKES US INTO ORBIT 6 EARS ON THE SKY JILL TARTER LISTENS FOR ALIEN TECHNOLOGIES 22 TALKING SPACE EMILY LAKDAWALLA BRINGS SCIENCE TO THE PEOPLE 36 PLANETARY ROVER TANYA HARRISON ROAMS MARS 50 LIFE BEYOND EARTH SARA SEAGER SEARCHES FOR ALIEN PLANETS 64 RUNNING HOT OR COLD RENÉE HLOŽEK PREDICTS HOW THE UNIVERSE WILL END 76 PEERING THROUGH THE CLOUDS ASHLEY WALKER AND THE MAKING OF OTHER WORLDS 92 INTO THE GREAT UNKNOWN 104 PIONEERING WOMEN IN STEM 106 GLOSSARY 110 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 112 SOURCES 112 INDEX 116
OPENING UP THE UNIVERSE When you think of a scientist what image comes to mind If you’re like a lot of people you might see a man in a lab coat or a man peering through a telescope I know that was the case for me when I was growing up as I dreamed of heading to the stars That’s because for the most part that’s all I saw on TV in the movies and in the news As I got older I realized that there are so many women who have contributed to what I love most space and space exploration But their stories were left untold as they stood in the shadows of men who were doing the same things they were Today we are starting to recognize many more women for their remarkable contribu tions and achievements women who are discovering new worlds searching for alien signals and unlocking the mysteries of the universe So I wanted to highlight some of them in this book Some did their research in the recent past paving the way for others to continue breaking barriers and exploring exciting new frontiers of space research For this book I was able to speak with Jill Tarter who was at the forefront of the search for the first extraterrestrial intelligence Sara Seager who is searching for potentially 2
habitable planets and Ashley Walker who is one of the first Black women in the field of astrochemistry and is looking at what chemical combinations might give rise to life Emily Lakdawalla shared with me her passion for communicating the wonders of space to the public Tanya Harrison bubbled with excitement about all the wonders on Mars and Renée Hložek pondered about our universe’s beginnings and how it may end I truly consider it an honor to have been able to speak to some of the women I had read about and learned so much from especially as a science communicator Their enthusiasm is infectious We all share an intense curiosity and a common passion the love of the universe in which we live These incredible women are opening the entire universe up to us They are looking back in time to the Big Bang when everything we know and see came into existence they are looking for planets that may harbor life or that may be good places to at least start searching for signs of life and they are looking back at Mars to a time when it may have once had an ocean Most of all they are trying to learn what all of this means for humans I want anyone who reads this book to know that nothing can stop you from pursuing your dream despite the challenges that you may need to overcome Anyone who has a curious mind who seeks answers to the tough nagging questions Where do we come from How did life arise on Earth What happened to the water on Mars How will the universe end can try to get the answers So dip in and meet these women See how they’re all searching beyond the stars every day and how you might one day too 3
