This book is the second edition of Women Spacefarers and tells the fascinating stories of the valiant women who broke down barriers to join the space program. Beginning with the orbital flight of USSR cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova in 1963 and continuing to the present day, it covers the many female players who have had a central role in the greatest adventure of our time.
The book includes the biographies of, and in some cases interviews with, the brave women who have flown in space. For each entry, the author contextualizes the spacefarer's accomplishments in light of the political and cultural climate of the time. The second edition features fifteen additional profiles on figures such as Jessica Meir and Wally Funk; new interview material; a new thematic structure based on each woman's science specialty and role; an expanded glossary; and more.
The result is a gallery of pioneering women who reached for the stars: women who, with exceptional skill, hard work, and dedication, reached impressive careers as accomplished pilots, researchers, engineers and managers, and left a legacy of strength for all aspiring spacefarers.
Umberto Cavallaro is founder and current chairman of AS.IT.AF (Italian Astrophilately Society) and editor of its quarterly Journal AD*ASTRA since 2008. His professional activity led him to cooperate for many years with ESA, European Space Agency. He produced several articles and researches on history of space exploration, which were published in American and in European Magazines in USA, UK, Germany, Czech Republic, Italy. Author of the books "Propaganda e Pragmatismo in gara per la conquista della Luna" ("Propaganda & Pragmatism in race to the Moon" Impremix, Torino 2011, 168 pp.), "The Race to the Moon - Chronicled in Stamps, Postcards, and Postmarks: A Story of Puffery vs the Pragmatic" (Springer International Publishing, 2018, XI + 338 pp.) and "Donne nello Spazio" ("Women in Space", Mursia, Milano 2015, 420 pp. He has translated into Italian several publications, including the book "The All-American Boys" ("I Ragazzi della Luna", Mursia Milan 2009, 610 pp.) by Walter Cunningham (Apollo VII astronaut).
