"Who runs the world? Girls!"– This emblematic slogan finds a particular echo in the history of thespace exploration, where theplace of womenhas evolved considerably since the beginnings of the conquest of space. Long absent from the first missions,women astronauts and scientiststoday play an essential role in international space programs.

The first major breakthrough dates back to 1963, when theSoviet cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkovabecomes thefirst woman in space. It thus marked a turning point in an industry that had until then been dominated by men. Two decades later, in 1983, the AmericanSally Ridebecomes thefirst American female astronaut, paving the way for many other pioneers in NASA programs.

Since then, thewomen in spacehave contributed tomajor scientific research, particularly on the effects of themicrogravityon the human body, theplant growth in orbit, or the study of the Earth's atmosphere and space weather. Their expertise also extends to the maintenance of orbital stations, aerospace engineering and medical experiments.

Yet, despite these advances, thegender inequalities in the space sectorpersist. Thewomen remain underrepresented in senior positions, in long-duration missions and in the decision-making bodies of space agencies. Many voices are being raised today to denounce thediscriminationAndharassmentsuffered, and to demand moreparityand ofinclusion in the space domain.

The history ofwomen in spaceis therefore both that ofgreat victoriesand offighting still in progress. While their contribution to research and exploration is undeniable, the path to areal equality in aeronautics and spaceremains to be continued.