On a Mission: The History of US Women Astronauts with Smithsonian Curator Emerita Valerie Neal

A Library Speakers Consortium and Smithsonian Institution Collaboration

Presented on: Thursday, April 2nd 2026 at 2:00 PM EDT




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Join us for an exhilarating journey through the history of US women astronauts with Valerie Neal, an emerita curator at the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum and an expert on human spaceflight.

Sally Ride became a household name as the first American woman in space, but scores of equally impressive women have also left their mark in space. On a Mission: The Smithsonian History of US Women Astronauts spans 45 years and 61 astronauts, sharing the epic journeys of women who made space for themselves in a male-dominated field.

Valerie Neal interviewed many of the US women astronauts to bring their experiences to life. She offers a culturally insightful history of their achievements, the challenges they've faced, and their distinctive stories. Collectively, they've completed more than 100 space shuttle missions and more than 30 long-duration stays on the International Space Station and the Russian Space Station Mir, and they continue to prove themselves in present-day space exploration.

The book includes 50 black-and-white photographs to complement the historical account. With its sweeping look from the first women astronauts to Christina Hammock Koch, assigned to the first crewed Artemis mission around the Moon, there is no comparably thorough book on America's women astronauts. On a Mission is an inspiring tribute to unsung women's history.

Register now to take part in this inspirational discussion! 

About the Author: Valerie Neal is a space historian and Curator Emerita at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum in Washington, DC. Her specialty is human spaceflight, space technology, and space science in the Space Shuttle era and beyond. At the Museum, she collected more than 1,500 artifacts from the shuttle era, curated three exhibitions and eight documentary programs for the Smithsonian Channel (cable TV), published books and articles based on her research, lectured in the USA and abroad, and gave many interviews to US and international media. 

Before joining the Museum, she was a writer and editor for some 25 NASA publications on Space Shuttle and Spacelab missions, the Hubble Space Telescope, and other Great Observatories, space science, and NASA History. She participated in underwater astronaut training in Alabama and mission support in Houston for four Space Shuttle missions. She has taught American Studies and writing courses at multiple universities. Valerie Neal holds Ph.D. and M.A. degrees in American Studies, as well as a B.A. in English and History.

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