THEIn Nasa he has just announced his new class of astronauts. Ten candidates selected between over 8,000 aspirants from every corner of the United States. AND, For the first time in the history of the American space agency, women overcome men in an official selection: 6 against 4. A data, not only symbolic, but which tells of a change for the future of spatial exploration. The new astronautstogether with their male colleagues, they will undertake an intense training course, which will prepare them for increasingly complex missions.
Astronauts NASA: For the first time, the majority is a woman
Among the six women selected there are Geologhe, engineer, military officers and spatial missions expertsand each brings unique experiences with it.
Anna Menonfor example, has already flown into space with the mission Polaris Dawn in 2024, while Lauren Edgar He worked with the rover on Mars and was part of the Lunar Geology Team for Artemis II.
Rebecca Lawlerformer navy driver, has accumulated thousands of flight hours in extreme conditions, e Katherine Spiesyoung engineer, designed navigation systems for space vehicles. Erin OVERCASHlieutenant commander of the Navy, coordinated underwater and rescue operations, while Imelda Mullerdoctor and researcher, is an expert in space medicine.
In short, all women who have overcome cultural and professional barriers and, now, are preparing to live their dream and that of many other girls: to become astronaut.
Not only numbers: the meaning of a turning point
The female presence in space, however minority, is not entirely absent: lAnd women had to conquer centimeter after centimeter their place among the stars. The fact that today are the majority in a NASA class, is not just a statistics, is the result of decades of Advocacy, cultural changes and inclusion policies.
As Sean Duffy, interim administrator of the space agency said: “The ten men and women sitting here today, embody the truth that in America, regardless of where we start, there is no limit to what a determined dreamer can reach, even go to space”.
The pioneer astronauts do not forget
Before six women were selected by NASA in 2025, as they said, others opened the way. In 1963, Valentina TestahkovaSoviet textile workers and paratrooper, he became the first woman in space. From his mission, however, they would have passed almost twenty years before The United States responded with Sally Ridephysics and astronaut, who in 1983 became the first American to orbit the earth.
He laughs, however, not only flew, but he spoke: of sexism, of the absurd questions, such as “Will you make up in space?”, Of the need to change perspective. In the following years, other women continued to push the boundaries. Mae Jemison, in 1992was the first African American woman in space, Eileen Collins, in 1999was the first to command a shuttle and Peggy Whitson He has accumulated more time in the space of any other American astronaut, man or woman.
Among the first to leave, even astrosamantha
There is no lack of Italy, among the pioneers: His name is Samantha Cristoforettithe first Italian in space, the first European woman to command the International Space Station. In an environment still dominated by men, Cristoforetti brought rigor, competence and clear communication, becoming a point of reference for thousands of European girls.
And his face, with the space suit and the compound smile, became a symbol of the concrete possibility that even a girl who grew up in the mountains of Trentino could look at the stars closely. Today, The six American astronauts of the 2025 class do not start from scratch. They walk in the footsteps of these women, collect their witness and relaunch him towards new horizons.
Women in space, women on earth
This selection takes place in a crucial moment for spatial exploration, given that Artemis missions aim to bring the human being back to the moon, man or woman who is, and prepare the ground for the future landing on Mars. But it is also a crucial moment for society on earth where, The discussion on equal wage, female leadership and representation in the media is very heated.
In this context, NASA sends a clear message: Women in space are no longer exceptions. They are the protagonists. An event that has an impact that goes beyond science. As Anne McClain, Veterana astronaut, said after the fifth all -female spatial walk in May 2025: «Every time a girl sees us floating us outside the space station, she understands that she too can do it. And this changes everything ».
Astronauts: no longer appearance, but protagonists
For the next two years, the six astronauts of the 2025 class, they will train to deal with hostile environments, manage medical emergencies, pilot space vehicles and live in the absence of gravity. Their impact, however, is already tangible, even before leaving. With their stories, skills and faces, they are rewriting the imagination of the Astronautto: no longer monolithic figure, but multiple, feminine, plural. And if one day, on Mars, there will be a female voice to tell the red landscape, it will also be thanks to this moment. To this class. At this step forward, which is not yet arrival, but it is finally departure.