A Woman Who Raced for the Stars: Kalpana Chawla, Astronaut

 Everyone knows this hard truth: Becoming a NASA astronaut is a daunting challenge. 

BEAMING BOOKS, 2024

That has been true from the earliest days of space travel, and continues to be true today. JOURNEY TO THE STARS: Kalpana Chawla, Astronaut, co-written by Laurie Wallmark and Raakhee Mirchandani and illustrated by Maitreyi Ghosh, shares an impressive true story of a young girl who eventually reached that goal. 

What ARE the requirements? Check NASA's page, HERE. Better yet, read this terrific new biographic account of a remarkable young girl who grew up in love with the sky! The requirements are all in there, and she met/exceeded them but still faced setbacks. You may be one of those people who is afraid of heights of any kind, or one who loves flying, or even one who mountain climbs or otherwise enjoys extreme height sports. Kalpana Chawla knew, even as a young girl in India, that a view from on high was thrilling. She craved it. From her family home rooftop she would watch for passing pilots to wave and imagine herself up there, flying with them. 

That's just the opener for this chronologic profile of the first woman from India who followed her dreams and became a NASA astronaut, meeting every one of those requirements, and more. Author Laurie Wallmark is widely admired for her picture books that celebrate Women in STEM (Science-Technology-Engineering-Math). I've reviewed several of her titles and posted interviews with Laurie HERE, HERE, and HERE, among others. 

In many cases, cultures, and eras, girls/women are actively discouraged from (if not outright denied) pursuit of their interest in STEM areas or access to  attend the institutions that help lead to successful careers. In the case of Kalpana, her parents provided both encouragement and opportunities at early ages. The steps and stages through which she proceeded toward her goal are described as straightforward and inspiring, revealing not only hard work and persistence, but also her  determination and joyful engagement in these studies. She also developed whole-person, whole life activities that assured the fitness, endurance, and broad knowledge that contributed to her eventual selection as a NASA astronaut.

Chawla's two space assignments were on shuttle flights, but she also fulfilled many other successful assignments. Despite various delays in training, she acquired those skills and worked in NASA's control center while preparing her for inflight experimentation and her role as controller for the robotic arm. Throughout it all, she fully embraced her identity as an American citizen but also her Indian cultural heritage, including foods, music, sports, and her own personal history. Co-author Mirchandani provides a  note on the back pages to share the importance of Chawla as a role model in her own life and in sharing those successes with her own daughter. Chawla is not the most widely known NASA astronaut, in part because her life was cut tragically short. I was impressed that this fact was not centered or used to launch her story, or even included in the main text. This woman's life and career is inspiring, based on her lived values and accomplishments, not just because she was one of several astronauts whose lives were lost in a NASA accident. Don't miss her honors listed on back pages, and the timeline will make clear how many impressive and courageous accomplishments she packed into her short life.

Illustrations are vibrant and exciting, with Chawla's fascination and enthusiasm for so many interests and pursuits shining through at every age and situation pictured. The quality of the pages/paper enhances the brilliant, saturated colors that offer contrast between the many deep indigo sky backgrounds and the colorful figures, expressions, and clothing, or even the background white-space on some pages. The spine and endpaper "astronaut orange" choice is ideal. I'm counting on each of you to share this with girls, especially, but with any child who has big dreams and might not be getting the validation and encouragement to help support them into their futures, where setbacks too often become stop signs. Chawla's life models the truth that delays or rejections can be seen as opportunities to forge stronger paths forward. And don't wait for (or limit this to) WOMEN'S HISTORY MONTH.

MARY SHERMAN MORGAN: An Inspiring but Overlooked Woman of Science

Calkins Creek/Astra Books for Young Readers
2021

We're already three days into our current "THEME MONTH", Women in History.

BLAST OFF! How Mary Sherman Morgan Fueled America into Space is written by Chicago area author Suzanne Slade and illustrated by Sally Wern Comport. When it comes to women in history whose stories are underreported, particularly those in science, Mary Morgan takes the cake. 

 Born in 1921, one year after women were legally allowed to vote, she was eight years old before the truant officer forced her family to let her go to school.  On a family farm, chores were not subject to a vote and even though she had to work overtime on studies to catch up for her late start, Mary completed her chores. Somehow, she found time to read, and read she did! 

 

By high school she proved herself to be a superior student, one who realized that chemistry was endlessly fascinating. Since her parents expected her to continue living at home and helping with chores, she worked multiple jobs, studied, saved, and applied for scholarships t go off to college. Her first two years of study gave her a good foundation, but her money had run out and she needed to stop school to work. At that time businesses hired women to do the work of men who had gone off to fight in the war, and Mary learned while earning money in an explosives factory making munitions for the war effort.

 

A few years later those men were back to compete for the job she wanted, and the boss at her dream company had 900 employees working on chemical fuels- all men! Mary made her case for being fully qualified, that man gave her a chance, and she was off to learn and develop advanced fuels and chemical combinations. I loved reading that her trusty sliderule was always on hand, her formulas were precise, and she double-checked every calculation. I celebrate her ability to VERIFY and CONFIRM computations, especially for a generation of readers who turn to handheld devices for math calculations, 

 

That proficiency and accuracy made her the lead scientist in a secret project to develop rocket fuel that could launch America’s first satellite. The pages detailing her thinking, experiments, failures and ultimate success are action-packed and compelling. Her determination was fueled by her fear that too many failures or false starts might make the public want to abandon space travel as too expensive. So she never gave up, and she led her teams to a successful launch, on schedule, with a promise that many more space adventures would follow. Back matter includes a timeline and extended details that provide curious readers with more about Mary’s life, American space programs, the Explorer 1 and Juno 1 rockets, and further readings. 

 

Mary Sherman Morgan was a woman who saw and pursued the potential within her and the potential beyond what she already knew. Her faith in science, in math, and in the uncharted opportunities of space should have been dramatized in film and books long before this, but it was worth the wait to read about her life and contributions now. Don’t let another day go by without reading her story. 

THE LITTLE SPACECRAFT THAT COULD

Sterling Children's Books, 2021

I can't resist a short post about this wonderful nonfiction picture book for many reasons, but I will keep them short. THE LITTLE SPACECRAFT THAT COULD: New Horizon's Amazing Journey to Pluto and Arrokoth is written by Joyce Lapin and illustrated by Simona Ceccarelli. 

First, the very apt title is a takeoff on a lifetime favorite book of mine (and likely yours) THE LITTLE ENGINE THAT COULD, Next, NEW HORIZON is a project devoted to learning more about that distant little planet-not-a-planet-dwarf-planet-whatever, PLUTO. (Learn more about the actual NASA program HERE.)

 I'll always root for the underdog, so that "little engine" NEW HORIZON spacecraft and Pluto and its neighbor Arrokoth are defnitely the underdogs of space study. Finally, and here's perhaps my favorite reason for featuring this title, I learned a cool new term for a category of picture book that I love- pseudo-narrative informative fiction. In this case, the actual NEW HORIZON spacecraft, about the size of a grand piano, bcecomes a lightly- personfied narrator of its own journey, from planning to launch to distant adventures. Loaded with valuable and engaging illustrations, labeled diagrams, and photographic inserts and sidebars, there is nonfiction galore. Yet the technique of turning an unmanned spacecraft into this upbeat and determined character makes the entire project come to life on the page. 

There you have it. Three plusses and no underdogs in this recommendation!

To the Stars! Let's here it for WOMEN in Space!

 

Charlesbridge, 2021

Young Kathy Sullivan (co-author of this picture book and star of the story) was intrigued with planes, travel, and adventure from her earliest years. Despite dismissive attitudes about what girls could or couldn't, should or shouldn't do, she grew up to follow her own compass. That spirit and her pursuit of scientific, technological, adventuresome studies eventually led her to becoming the first American woman to walk in space.

Here's what others have had to say about TO THE STARS! The First American Woman to Walk in Space, written by Carmella Van Vleet and Dr. Kathy Sullivan, illustrated by Nicole Wong. 

"A wonderful and inspiring addition to biography and space collections."

-School Library Journal

 "In 1978, she became one of the first six women selected to join NASA, and she was the first American woman to walk in space, in 1984. Notes, each a full page long, from the author and Sullivan herself encompass her adventurous spirit and encourage girls to "set big goals." Concluding thumbnail biographies profile 13 other woman astronauts, including Sally Ride, Kalpana Chawla, Mae Jemison, and Ellen Ochoa. This welcome addition to the field of female fliers will be informative as well as inspirational for girls."

-Kirkus Reviews

On a side note, I want to add a few thoughts about "theme months", as I often do. (Early post  HERE.) I've been deeply drenched in research for a nonfiction writing project involving the early days of NASA and human space travel. It is painfully obvious that the characters and pronouns are all male. That is NOT the point of the project, but I remain appalled that even a flicker of possibility that a woman could have been involved in those years was beyond absurd. That's why this is one of many important and necessary books about women in space, in STEM, in research and innovation, EVERY MONTH of the year, not just in March, Women's History Month. It is also why June, PRIDE MONTH, is SO essential, and why the books featuring these stories are even more essential ALL YEAR LONG. The Kirkus review listed women space pioneers. Sally Ride is the one name among them  that most Americans could recognize. Sadly, she lived her entire lesbian life closeted because that was the only way she could pursue and succeed in  her chosen professional career, especially in the public eye. 

That would not be true today, but the backlash and ongoing trolling of those who are labeled any version  of "other" continues. From the WHITE HOUSE to our own homes, we must all stand together, speak up, and proclaim support as allies for ALL others, during PRIDE MONTH and EVERY month.

PERSEVERANCE Inspires! And so does EMMA!

I hope that you were able to watch the landing of the NASA MARS rover, PERSEVERANCE. Live, or on replay, it was a thrilling experience. Even masked and socially distanced cheering from the ground control crew made their exuberance obvious. Watching them celebrate took me right back to my childhood viewing, on grainy black-and-white screens, while a team of exclusively white males LOST THEIR MINDS in jubilation as rockets fired successfully, or a capsule's parachute released on time. Those cheers were especially thrilling when the hatch of a capsule, bobbing in the ocean, was opened and astronauts safely emerged, waving gloved hands to the cameras.

At that time, the primitive technology and pioneering explorations were so extraordinary that the danger should have magnified our reactions. In fact, the current teams seem every bit as thrilled  and relieved as those early exploration events. What thrilled me just as much as their success was the contrast between the all-white-male team during the sixties and the visibility of women and non-White professionals among current celebrating teams. That representation matters, even if proportions lag population ratios. 

I have been checking in with NASA/Perseverance updates daily, because viewing the activities of Perseverance is more reliably smile-generating than anything I can think of from this past year. YouTube has short recorded clips of the actual landing, not just simulations, and I urge you to take a look, HERE, NOW. 

But what does all this have to do with picture books? Well, smiles and inspiration are good places to start. EMMA ON MARS is written by Billy Dunne and illustrated by Vanessa Port. It's a  charming little picture book in which young Emma is FURIOUS when she learns that our planet Earth is being mistreated by humans, including her own parents.When their response to her concern disappoints, Emma launches her attempt to relocate on Mars. Her age-appropriate efforts involve significant science information, word play, imaginary exploration and analysis, and crafty projects before a  touch of homesickness shifts her focus to her home planet.

MAVERICK  ARTS PUBLISHING, 2021

Emma's awareness of the remarkable planet on which she/we live launches both commitment and action to organize, plan, plant, protect, and preserve in every way she can. Those efforts inspire her parents to snap out of their routines and support Emma's Earth-friendly energy.

This bright and ambitious girl in a contemporary, mixed family expands a lively and light-hearted story into something special. Emma's personality, curiosity, initiative, and empowerment combine with early science concepts to launch young readers into investigations and study that could eventually land them in NASA and private control rooms, or on board  future "manned" spaceships with people who fully reflect our Human race. 

We can add to that enthusiasm and curiosity by sharing  NASA feeds from PERSEVERANCE with kids. Many decades after my own childhood I still retain vivid images of moments of space exploration. The power of bringing science to life on the screen for kids today can shape a lifetime.  HERE'S a link to an early 360-degree camera pan of the Mars surface as taken by the main camera on the rover. By the way, one of the main operators and analysts of that camera is a woman!

***  THIS JUST IN  ***   THIS JUST IN **** THIS JUST IN  ***

(That was fun!)

On the very day this post went live, an article appeared in National Geographic to announce that the private space agency, SPACE-X, will include in its orbital crew a young woman whose left leg incorporates metal rod bone prosthetics, following successful treatment of childhood cancer. What a great reminder that only barriers that are insurmountable are ones we set for ourselves.

If you can dream it, you can do it!

Read the article HERE.