Women in Aviation and Space

Throughout the history of aviation and space exploration, women have fought to be on equal terms with their male counterparts. At this family day, learn about the significant contributions women have made despite the many challenges they faced. The day will feature presentations by women in the field, hands-on activities, and stories.

Presentations and activities include:

• Hear space history curator Valerie Neal talk about the female astronauts of Space Shuttle Discovery, 11:00 am
• Listen to space history curator Margaret Weitekamp's presentation "No Longer Hidden Figures--Women in the STEM Professions," 2:00 pm
• Catch a show in our portable planetarium, 10:30 am, 12:00 pm, 1:00 pm, and 2:00 pm
• Check out a character performance by Mary Ann Jung in "Sally Ride: Who Wants to be an Astronaut," 1:00 pm
• Enjoy Flights of Fancy story time and dress up featuring the book I'm Amelia Earhart, 10:00 am to 12:30 pm and 1:30 pm to 3:00 pm
• Use the same process that Margaret Hamilton used to program the Apollo missions to code your initials with beads. 
• Learn what women did to support the war effort during World War II; see a 1940s telephone, WWII war bond stamps, and uniforms; and dress and decorate a paper doll.
• Talk about STEM careers with professionals from the Ninety Nines, Inc., United States Air Force Academy, local Girl Scout troops, Professional Women Controllers, Inc., and Air Line Pilots Association, Inc.

The Heritage Family Day series is made possible by the generous support of Northrop Grumman Corporation.