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A Galaxy Of Her Own: Amazing Stories Of Women In Space by Libby Jackson

The name Ellie Foraker may not sound familiar to many, but she, along with three other women, played a key role in Nasa’s Moon mission.

Foraker, Madeleine Ivory, Bert Pilkenton and Cecil Webb, were among the expert seamstresses who designed and made the suits astronauts wore during their lunar missions.

A Galaxy Of Her Own is all about the contributions women have made to advance scientific knowledge – from mathematicians Ada Lovelace and Katherine Johnson, to geologist Frances Westall and aerospace engineer Anita Sengupta.

Author Libby Jackson, who is an astronaut flight programme manager for the UK space agency, writes: “There are some common themes that run through the stories in this book. The women, regardless of the period they were living in, refused to be limited by any barriers that society tried to place upon them, and wouldn’t listen to anyone suggesting that they couldn’t or shouldn’t strive to fulfill otherwise.”

The book is about 50 remarkable women who changed the world and will suitably inspire trailblazers of all ages, and hopefully those to come.

“The women, regardless of the period they were living in, refused to be limited by any barriers that society tried to place upon them”