One cannot discuss women in the space program without mentioning the women in research and aviation who paved the way for the eventual inclusion of female astronauts. Two of the most significant people in this regard are Harriet Quimby and Pearl Young. In 1911 Quimby became the first American woman to earn a pilot's license. Just a year later, she became the first woman to fly across the English Channel. She served as a forerunner to more prominent female pilots such as Amelia Earhart. Young was the first female professional to work at the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (a precursor to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration [NASA]), paving the way for women to work directly within the U.S. space program.

In January 1978, the first female astronaut candidates were selected by NASA (left to right): Margaret Rhea Seddon, Kathryn Sullivan, Judith Resnik, Sally...