Launch Ladies children’s book highlights the women behind space exploration

The idea of space exploration has captured the hearts and minds of humankind since long before NASA put a man on the Moon. Following this amazing accomplishment, the reality of human spaceflight has continued to fascinate and inspire in the ensuing decades. But there is often an imbalance when the tales of struggles and success are recounted: these tales often revolve around the men who have accomplished so much, obscuring the women both at the forefront and behind the scenes of space exploration.

Launch Ladies aims to change all that by cultivating children’s interest in space exploration and shining a spotlight on the women who have both made it possible and continue to reach for the stars. This beautifully illustrated children’s board book will highlight accomplished and dedicated women including Margaret Hamilton, who led the development of onboard Apollo mission flight software, Dr. Mae Jemison, the first African-American woman in space, and Marleen Martinez, a programmer whose work will guide the future NASA Orion mission designed to take humans to Mars.

Launch Ladies is currently seeking funding via a Kickstarter campaign, with a projected goal of raising $9,000 by April 20 to fund production of the book, which is well on its way to completion. According to a recent tweet by Leila A. McNeill, a contributor to the project and editor-in-chief of the independent magazine Lady Science, Launch Ladies has already raised over $2,000 and reached 20 percent of its funding goal, with 28 days left to go.

It’s been 24 hrs and we’ve already raised over 2k. You guys, I think this might really happen https://t.co/uYZN0xoTqy

— Leila A. McNeill (@leilasedai) March 22, 2017

You can learn more about Launch Ladies, preview a few of its pages, and check out the options available to back the book’s production on the project’s Kickstarter page.