Pulsar Pink SmartStar-R80 Telescope

Submitted by: Barack Obama Presidential Library in Hoffman Estates, Illinois

This computerized telescope with GPS and a 5,000 object database has an 80mm refractive lens and two changeable eye pieces. Standing on an adjustable aluminum tripod, the telescope allows the viewer to see the stars up close. Caroline Moore, who became the youngest person to discover a supernova when she was just 14, gifted this telescope to Sasha and Malia Obama during the White House Astronomy Night on October 7, 2009, to which she was invited to celebrate her achievement. Also in attendance at the event was astronaut Sally Ride. This artifact is in the collection of the Barack Obama Presidential Library.

Svetlana Savitskaya’s Spacesuit

Submitted by: The Cosmosphere in Hutchinson, Kansas

This Sokol spacesuit was worn by cosmonaut Svetlana Savitskaya during the Soyuz T-12 mission to the Salyut 7 space station. On this flight, Savitskaya became the first woman to perform a spacewalk. This artifact is part of the Cosmosphere's permanent collection.

Teena Still’s 70” x 85" Space Mission Patchwork Quilt, in Dedication to the Challenger Crew

Submitted by: Christa McAuliffe Center at Framingham State University in Framingham, Massachusetts

On January 28, 1986, American teacher Christa McAuliffe was tragically killed with her six astronaut companions on the same Space Shuttle Challenger that launched NASA astronaut Sally K. Ride to become the first American woman in space just three years prior.

Ten years after the Challenger accident, medical transcriptionist Teena Still worked at NASA’s Flight Medicine Clinic and met with all astronauts preparing to go to space. Though she didn’t meet the Challenger Seven personally, Still was inspired to create this quilt in the Challenger crew’s honor by using mission patches astronauts brought her when they returned from space. This artifact is in the Christa Corrigan McAuliffe Collection of Framingham State University’s Archives. Still donated her quilt to McAuliffe’s alma mater in 2006 on the 20th anniversary of the Challenger accident.

Judy Resnik Flight Suit

Submitted by: Space Center Houston in Houston, Texas

Judy Resnik wore this flight suit when training in the T-38 Talon. The T-38 is a two-seat, supersonic jet trainer. Astronauts fly T-38s to practice quick thinking in changing situations in the real world.

Resnik was one of the first six American women to become astronauts. Resnik flew on Shuttle Discovery’s maiden flight. Her second mission was the ill-fated STS-51L on Space Shuttle Challenger, which broke up during launch. This artifact is in the collection of Space Center Houston located in Houston, Texas.

Books from Charlie Mary Noble Collection

Submitted by: The Fort Worth Museum of Science and History in Fort Worth, Texas

These books are from the Charlie Mary Noble collection at the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History. The book titled Measuring Our Universe by Oliver Justin Lee was signed by the author and given to Charlie Mary Noble in April 1951. Lee inscribed a note to Noble on the front page: "May you always know your distances; they are the keys to happiness. With best wishes. Faithfully yours, Oliver Justin Lee".

When looking at the book titled Astronomy by Baker, you can see that Charlie Mary Noble used this book often by the wear on the spine and also by the many notes that she took on the front and back covers of the book. There are several notes jotted down throughout the book as well.

Astronaut Mae Jemison’s Space Garment and Biofeedback Belt 

Submitted by: Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago, Illinois

Mae Jemison, the first African American woman in space, wore this prototype cotton leotard and monitoring belt to measure the way her body responded to microgravity. She was a member of the crew of STS-47, the 50th Space Shuttle mission, which launched on September 12, 1992.

This biofeedback system was developed and patented by NASA psychophysiologist Dr. Patricia S. Cowings. Dr. Cowings monitored the biofeedback data at the consoles of the Autogenic-Feedback System-2 (AFS-2) at NASA Ames Research Center in California. The objective of the experiment was to help the human body adapt to space by assessing countermeasures or treatments for a variety of reactions or syndromes — from space sickness to poor sleep quality. Dr. Cowings’ experiments were successful in helping astronauts better adapt to space. These artifacts are in the collection of the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago, Illinois.
 

Star Trek Communicator Badge Owned by Sally Ride

Submitted by: The Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum

This "communicator badge," a prop from the set of Star Trek: Voyager, was owned by Dr. Sally K. Ride. The badge, which has a velcro hook and loop backing distinguishing it as a stage prop, was presented to Ride at the premiere of the pilot episode at Paramount Pictures in January 1995 by actress Kate Mulgrew, who portrayed the first female captain in a lead role in the Star Trek franchise. Ride, the first American woman in space, began watching the original series as a teenager, and her avid interest in Star Trek continued as an adult. This artifact is in the collection of the National Air and Space Museum.

Margery Watson’s French Curve

Submitted by: Museum of Flight in Seattle, Washington

Margery Watson used this French curve while working as a draftsperson at North American Aviation on the team designing the P-51 Mustang. Watson’s main focus was the Mustang’s under-fuselage air scoop that forced air through the aircraft’s radiator. Watson used her favorite tool, the French curve, to draw and redraw the scoop and the aft cooling duct until the engineers perfected the scoop’s dimensions. This artifact is in the Margery Watson Collection at the Museum of Flight.

Jackie Cochran’s Flight Helmet

Submitted by: San Diego Air & Space Museum

Jacqueline “Jackie” Cochrane is one of the most significant women aviators in history. She set many speed records, was a driving force behind the formation of the WASP (Women Airforce Service Pilots) during World War II, and was a tireless advocate for women in aviation. This helmet was worn by Jackie Cochran when she became the first woman to fly at twice the speed of sound, which she accomplished in 1964 while flying a Lockheed F-104G Starfighter. This artifact is in the collection of the San Diego Air & Space Museum.

Stanley Vacuum Thermos Bottle belonging to Amelia Earhart.

Submitted by: Science Museum Oklahoma in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

Amelia Earhart was a pioneering female aviator in the early 20th century. She used this thermos on her first trans-Atlantic flight in 1928, in which she was the first woman to fly across the Atlantic as a passenger. She used it again when she became the first woman to fly solo, non-stop, across the Atlantic in 1932 and again as the first aviator to fly solo from Honolulu to Oakland, California, in 1935. This object is from the collection of Science Museum Oklahoma.

Sue Parish Flight Suit and Air Show Hat

Submitted by: Air Zoo in Kalamazoo, Michigan

“I liked cowboy hats from my horse-riding days, so it was only natural for me to wear such a hat at air shows… I sewed on flowers to make the hat pretty and feminine.” – Sue Parish

This colorful wardrobe belonged to Air Zoo co-founder Suzanne U.D. Parish (1922-2010), known affectionately as Sue. A member of the Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP) of WWII, Parrish wore this suit in her Kalamazoo Air Zoo flyovers and at air shows nationwide. When Parish retired from flying, she had logged a total of 8,122.2 flight hours—or 338 days—in the air!

Hour Glass Presented to Marie Curie

Submitted by: American Museum of Science and Energy in Oak Ridge, Tennessee

This hourglass was presented to Marie Curie in 1921 when the Women of America presented her with 1000mg of radium. Dr. Robert Abbe, a surgeon at St. Luke's Hospital in New York who admired Curie's work, had two hourglasses made to contain the radium. One hourglass was presented to Curie while a second was given to President Warren G. Harding.

Marie Curie, born in Poland in 1867, was a renowned chemist and physicist who conducted breakthrough research in radioactivity. She was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1903, becoming the first woman awarded a Nobel Prize, and again in 1911 in Chemistry for her discovery of radium. This made her the first person to win a Nobel Prize twice and the only person to win in different fields (physics and chemistry). 

One of the two hourglasses presented during the ceremony in Washington, DC, was found at the Warren G. Harding Presidential Home in 2001. It was then transferred to the collection of the American Museum of Science and Energy. 
 

Baltimore & Ohio Railroad Presents The Cincinnatian [Brochure] 

Submitted by: B&O Railroad Museum in Baltimore, Maryland

This color brochure details the features and passenger amenities available on the B&O Railroad’s flagship streamlined steam train, the Cincinnatian, which debuted in 1947 and ran between Baltimore and Cincinnati until the 1970s. The Cincinnatian was designed inside and out by Olive Wetzel Dennis, the first woman civil engineer employed by the B&O and only the second woman to receive a civil engineering degree from Cornell University. The train featured amenities devised by Dennis still used in passenger travel today, including reclining seats, dimmable ceiling lights, stain-resistant upholstery, individual window vents, and air-conditioned cars. This archival item is in the collection of the B&O Railroad Museum.

"Black Achievers in Science" Booklet

Submitted by: Birmingham Civil Rights Institute in Birmingham, Alabama

This poster is from the "Black Achievers in Science" exhibition from 1988, which focused on the achievements of Black Americans in science and technology. The exhibition toured the country, including a showing in Birmingham, Alabama, hosted by the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute. The exhibit included more than 100 prominent Black achievers in science, with in depth information included about 16 of them. Four achievers were highlighted in each of four research fields: life sciences, physical sciences, mathematics and computer sciences, and engineering. Some of the featured scientists included Benjamin Banneker, George Washington Carver, Percy L. Julian, and Lewis Latimer, Patricia S. Cowings, Fern Y. Hunt, Norman Bliss, and Christine Darden.  

The exhibit included biographies, photographs, and personal memorabilia. Visitors were also able to use hands-on devices to gain further understanding of the featured achievers’ scientific research. The booklet shown here was included as a handout that accompanied the exhibition. 

President Ford presents the National Medal of Science to Dr. Chien-Shiung Wu 

Submitted by: Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library & Museum in Grand Rapids, Michigan

Over the course of her career, Chien-Shiung Wu became known as the “First Lady of Physics.” After earning her PhD from the University of California, Berkeley, Wu broke ground as the first female faculty member in the physics department at Princeton University and later as the first woman to become a tenured physics professor at Columbia University. During World War II, she worked on the Manhattan Project, and, in 1956, she designed an experiment that discovered parity was not conserved in weak interactions. Although two of her male colleagues won the 1957 Nobel Prize in Physics for this work, Wu’s contribution was not publicly recognized at the time. In 1976, President Gerald Ford awarded the National Medal of Science to Dr. Wu “for her ingenious experiments that led to a new and surprising understanding of the decay of the radioactive nucleus.” This photograph is in the collection of the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library and Museum.

Ironstone Cup and Saucer

Submitted by: MSU Museum at Michigan State University in East Lansing, Michigan

This cup and saucer may have been used by one of the women employees at the Saint’s Rest boarding hall, the first dormitory on Michigan State University’s campus (dating from 1857-1876), largely in use before women were admitted as students. It was excavated as part of an archaeological field study in 2005, led by Drs. Lynne Goldstein and Jodie O’Gorman. This artifact not only represents women on campus in the 1860s-1870s, but it also showcases the modern contributions of female archaeologists. This artifact is in the collection of Michigan State University Museum.
 

Photograph of Dr. Louisa Paine Tingley

Submitted by: Rhode Island Historical Society in Providence, Rhode Island

Dr. Louisa Paine Tingley (1869-1952) was a pioneering woman, serving in Rhode Island as an eye specialist and surgeon. Tingley was also an artist and a member of the Rhode Island Historical Society and the Rhode Island Medical Society, which was founded by her great-great-grandfather. She kept offices at Providence and Boston for over 50 years and preferred to dress in men’s clothing. Here she is seen with a white collar, dark Windsor tie held with a stick pin, and a double breasted coat. This photograph, a rare style of photo positive on glass, is from the collection of the Rhode Island Historical Society.

Artifact Name: Triodopsis fallax

Submitted by: Schiele Museum of Natural History and Planetarium in Gastonia, North Carolina

Land snails, like this Triodopsis fallax, have been understudied, and little is known about their genetics. Denise Furr is striving to increase our knowledge of these creatures, recently receiving her PhD in Biological Sciences working on DNA variation and biogeography of the Triodopsis genus. The specimen is accession #632.14 in the collection of the Schiele Museum of Natural History and was collected in Gaston County, North Carolina, in 2010.