Everything you need to understand or teach In Ascension by Martin Macinnes.
A work of speculative fiction, In Ascension is a largely first-person account of a girl from Rotterdam, Netherlands who becomes a marine biologist and then an astronaut. Working in extreme environments such as a trench in the ocean and the outer solar system, Leigh undergoes a series of awakenings through contact with nature. Martin MacInnnes’ sweeping novel discusses alternate consciousnesses, women in science, the interconnectedness of all life, and the implications of powerful new technology.