Meet Your Female Space & Science Heroes (virtually)
A free augmented reality (AR) app that can be used on most AR-compatible tablets and smartphones (iOS & Android platforms). Link to full press release.
The history of women's contributions to the fields of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) is long and varied. This app highlights only a very few of the women who have had an impact on STEM fields. Today, women are in every STEM discipline, in every type of job, and represent the widest range of background and experiences. Learn about some of our featured inventors, explorers, and researchers here:
Journey to Mars in 3D with Ellen Stofan, who currently heads the National Air and Space Museum. Listen to the stars with computer scientist and astronomer Wanda Diaz. Explore NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory with astronaut Cady Coleman. Get a behind-the-scenes look at the Mars 2020 rover with Christina Hernandez, an instrument engineer at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Tour the Crab Nebula pulsar with astrophysicist Jocelyn Bell Burnell.
Download the free app for iPhone/iPad (App Store) or Android (Google Play Store).
The project received support from the Smithsonian American Women’s History Initiative, Because of Her Story. Launched in 2018, Because of Her Story is one of the country’s most ambitious undertakings to research, collect, document, display and share the compelling story of women.
Support also comes from Chandra. The Chandra X-ray Observatory, one of NASA’s “Great Observatories,” has a special connection to the Smithsonian as its science and operations center is at the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory in Massachusetts. The Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, manages the Chandra X-ray Center on behalf of NASA.
This project is not only about women, it is created exclusively by women.
Kimberly Arcand, principle investigator; visualization scientist, Chandra X-ray Center (CXC)
Sasha Samochina, co-PI, creative technologist; deputy manager of the Ops Lab, NASA’s JPL
Mandy Mandelstein, filmmaker and technologist
Kristin DiVona, designer (CXC)
April Jubett, videographer (CXC)
Megan Watzke, science writer (CXC)
Sara Price, research assistant (CXC)