05 - A Book About Women Astronauts > Likes and Comments

A book about women astronauts

Will you read fiction? or a memoir?

What exactly is an astronaut? I looked up the definition: "a person who is trained to travel in a spacecraft." So this doesn't have to be about a woman in space. Even if she never leaves the Earth, if she was trained, she counts.

I'm not sure what I'll read. I'm sure Elizabeth Bear wrote something that will fit ... Ancestral Night looks good! I think that's my pick.


Listopia list is Here: A book about women astronauts

The Calculating Stars!

For this coming year in December 2025, I had The New Guys: The Historic Class of Astronauts That Broke Barriers and Changed the Face of Space Travel on my reading list, but I don't mind pushing this one back until sometime in 2026.

I'll be reading The Mercury 13: The True Story of Thirteen Women and the Dream of Space Flight! Been on my list for a few years now.

I read The Calculating Stars for this year's challenge and loved it, so I'll probably read The Fated Sky, which is the next in the series!

I'm up to date with the Lady Astronaut series, but should be easy enough for me. I'll probably read science fiction.

@Nadine the listopia in the first post links to the 2025 prompt of POC experiencing joy not trauma.

I would think TJR's new one would fit here. Thank goodness I haven't read it yet.

Atmosphere

Erica wrote: "@Nadine the listopia in the first post links to the 2025 prompt of POC experiencing joy not trauma."


thank you!! fixed it!

Atmosphere
To The Moon And Back
The Six: The Untold Story of America's First Women in Space

Sasha wrote: "I read The Calculating Stars for this year's challenge and loved it, so I'll probably read The Fated Sky, which is the next in the series!"

I read the series last year and loved it! There are also a few novellas you can find on the author's website.

Britany wrote: "I would think TJR's new one would fit here. Thank goodness I haven't read it yet.

Atmosphere "

Atmosphere is SO GOOD! As soon as I read the prompt I thought of it, too bad I have already read it!

Oooh, I own Architects of Memory! Guess it's going here.

To the Moon and Back may qualify? The main character's sister is a social media influencer, so if nothing else it could qualify for that category.

I think The Dark Sky by Yume Kitasei would totally work here. And there are elements of pregnancy as well, but I don’t remember if it would fit the IVF prompt. I enjoyed it though.

I second all the recommendations for Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid and the Lady Astronauts series! I read Atmosphere just last month, and I re-read (listened to) the Lady Astronaut series before reading The Marian Contingency.

Lady Astronaut series by Mary Robinette Kowal
The Calculating Stars
The Fated Sky
The Relentless Moon
The Lady Astronaut of Mars
The Martian Contingency

To that I'll add Orbital, which is a multi-POV book about the astronauts and cosmonauts on the space station. Several are women.

If we expand it to space travel in general, of course, there's tons of scifi to choose from.

The Six: The Untold Story of America's First Women Astronauts by Loren Grush

Orbital, it's great if long books or space aren't your thing. It's also quite introspective.

Acidic Quagga wrote: "
The Six: The Untold Story of America's First Women Astronauts..."

Thanks for the suggestion. I will be reading this one.

I don't know what I'll choose yet for this, but I think I'll go with any "women in space" book rather than limit myself to realistic, in this timeline or earlier books.

If you’re looking for non-fiction, Diary of an Apprentice Astronaut by the Italian astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti could be a good choice. Also, she’s chosen to donate all proceeds from the book to UNICEF.

Argh!!! I JUST finished reading the latest in the Lady Astronaut series! The Martian Contingency. It would have been PERFECT! And so, I'm here, looking to you guys for more ideas.

This also happened to me with another book I read this year, for "A book that features a married couple who don’t live together". I read Inner Space, by Jakub Szamalek, Sophie Amoss (Narrator), Kasia Beresford (Translator). The protagonist in this book, a woman, is a commander on the International Space Station.

Ironically, I also read, Orbital, by Samantha Harvey, last year, for "A book that takes place in 24 hours" (although, over the course of 16 days in orbit).

Maybe someone will publish another perfect book in 2026?!

ETA: The very first book that Nadine mentioned, looks good! I'll follow her lead and read, Ancestral Night, by Elizabeth Bear.

Found these two on my TBR that seem to fit the bill:
To Be Taught, If Fortunate by Becky Chambers
and Meru by S.B. Divya

atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reed fits

I'm going to read by Taylor Jenkins Reid.

I loved Atmosphere. I'm adding Gravity by Tess Gerritsen to the list.

Last year I read Dead Silence and The Luminous Dead (which was FANTASTIC). Both books are futuristic space horror/suspense with astronaut leads who are women.

The Martian - there are at least 2 women astronauts on that Space Shuttle and they are key to the plot. One is the commander. They of course aren't the main character as they don't get left on Mars, but they are key to the plot.

It's a wonderful book.

I'd count any of the Murderbot books -- there are always a number of women astronauts featured even though Murderbot is genderless. The women are always central to the plot.

I believe there are women astronauts in the Lois McMaster Bujold Vorkosigan series, some likely at the center of the plot.

Becky Chambers series that starts with The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet - it's great fun

Here's a short list from Book Riot - some really good looking reads here: https://bookriot.com/women-in-space-b...

A Mighty Girl has lists of Children's and Middle Grade books on women astronauts -- more there than for adults!

I'm wondering if Binti might work?

Mary Robinette Kowal frequently centers on women in space in her books, not just the The Calculating Stars series.

I'm thinking that there are not a lot of books with women astronaut main characters, but you can expand the options in two ways: broaden the definition of astronaut to include women working in the space industry - thinking Hidden Figures. Or to women astronauts as secondary characters in scifi fiction mostly.

It doesn't say the astronaut has to be the main character, so all those would work.

Theresa wrote: "I'm wondering if Binti might work?..."


I don't remember any astronauts in Binti. They travel through space, but they are passengers.

Deus Ex Mechanic, really the whole Cricket Chronicles, by Ryann Fletcher has all genders in space

I am going to read These Alien Skies. Someone in another thread recommended the series it came from and I'm using 2 of them for prompts. Thank you for the recommendation

Denise wrote: "I am going to read These Alien Skies. Someone in another thread recommended the series it came from and I'm using 2 of them for prompts. Thank you for the recommendation"

That looks like a really interesting series that could be a good fit for Black History Month. Thank you!

I was very excited for this prompt because that meant I can read one of my sub-genres, Alien Romance. There are a few I'm looking at but I'm thinking of reading the next in this series Wed To The Alien Warlord. Married to the Alien Mountain Man would also work for this prompt.

Decided to go with this book instead:

Path to the Stars

I bought The Six: The Extraordinary Story of the Grit and Daring of America's First Women Astronauts at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center air and space museum so I'll be reading that.

I was planning to read Ancestral Night, but then I saw Mike Chen has a new book coming out set in space, looks like it includes men and women astronauts: The Photonic Effect.

Nadine in NY wrote: "I was planning to read Ancestral Night, but then I saw Mike Chen has a new book coming out set in space, looks like it includes men and women astronauts: book:The ..."

Thanks for putting that book on my radar. Chen wrote a great Star Wars book, and I have Here and Now and Then on my TBR.

Thinking outside the box a little, someone could use Star Trek or Star Wars books to fit this prompt. Uhura and Leia count as astronauts.

Brandon wrote: "Nadine in NY wrote: "I was planning to read Ancestral Night, but then I saw Mike Chen has a new book coming out set in space, looks like it includes men and women a..."



I've read a few of his books and my favorite has been We Could Be Heroes

He has a new Star Wars book coming out this year, too!! Star Wars Outlaws: Low Red Moon

I didn’t realize that I chose a young kids book, but this was great.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3...

Oops here is the title: Galaxy Girls: 50 Amazing Stories of Women in Space by Libby Jackson

I was certain this would remain an unfulfilled prompt for me in this year's challenge, but I just found this at my library Almost Astronauts: 13 Women Who Dared to Dream and it works for me.

I read Atmosphere. 5 stars. I liked it.

I found one in my TBR, that I think is going to work! Ghost Station. Yay!

Finished Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid

My Review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

To Be Taught, If Fortunate

Always a pleasure to find a book by Becky Chambers, and this was no exception. A gentle, thoughtful novella.

I used The Calculating Stars by Mary Robinette Kowal, but the mismatched tone really frustrated me. The world is possibly ending, and nobody seems terribly fussed about it.

http://www.lauraruthloomis.com/whats-...