1978年，这个梦想似乎有了希望，当时有6名女性 经NASA遴选成为宇航员。当时的工程人员大部分是男性，他们很有幽默感，甚至为新来的女性宇航员准备了化妆品。作为第一批女性宇航员的凯瑟琳•苏利文（Kathryn Sullivan）说，“我们不希望成为‘航天女孩’，不愿意显得很特殊，与其他同事格格不入。”

随着走向太空的大门向女性敞开，奥乔亚取得物理学学士学位，加入了宇航员的队伍。1993年，她成为第一位遨游太空的西班牙裔，后来完成了4次太空飞行， 飞行时间达一千小时。她在执行任务期间负责考察地球大气，回收了一枚探测太阳的卫星，还为机组人员在国际太空站（International Space Station）进行太空行走操作机器手臂。另外还有其他拥有不同背景的女性与她一样成为宇航员，其中有科学家、任务专家、飞行员和指令长。例如1992年，梅•杰米森（Mae Jemison） 医生成为第一名黑人女性宇航员。1994年，向井千秋（Chiaki Mukai）医生成为第一名进入太空的日裔女性。2006年，美国伊朗裔工程师和企业家阿努什•安萨里（Anousheh Ansari） 支付飞往国际太空站的费用，成为第一位女性太空旅客和伊朗裔的宇航员。有一位13岁的女孩正争取迈出飞往火星（Mars）的第一步。无论她父亲、媒体人员还是NASA官员都没有对她的梦想表示怀疑。

你或者你认识的人是否有兴趣从事科学、技术、工程和数学方面的工作？技术女孩（TechGirls）项目可以为你提供一些启示。这个项目的对象是中东和北非的年轻女性，强调培养在网页设计、机器人和视频图像等领域的动手能力。编程女孩（Girls Who Code）项目可以为女孩利用现代电脑行业的机会提供技术训练和资源。由LAUNCH、美国国际发展署（USAID）、美国国务院和耐克（USAID）公司资助的发射（LAUNCH）项目为采取创造性的方式应对可持续问题的挑战提供支持。

 Ellen Ochoa was born the same year as NASA, 1958. She was 11 when astronauts landed on the moon. But becoming an astronaut herself seemed less possible even than becoming president. “I can tell you, at that time, nobody ever asked a girl, ‘Is that something you want to grow up and do?'” Ochoa told the Newseum.

It began to seem possible in 1978, when six women were selected to be NASA astronauts. Though the mostly male engineers humorously designed a makeup kit for their new colleagues, “We didn’t want to become ‘the girl astronauts,’ distinct and separate from the guys,” said Kathryn Sullivan, one of the pioneering six.

With the path to space now open to women, Ochoa, who earned a bachelor’s degree in physics, joined the astronaut corps. In 1993, she became the first Hispanic woman in space. She completed four flights, logging nearly a thousand hours. She studied the Earth’s atmosphere, captured a satellite used to study the sun, and operated a robotic arm to move crew on spacewalks at the International Space Station.

A diverse array of women have joined her as scientists, mission specialists, pilots and commanders. Physician Mae Jemison became the first black female astronaut in 1992. Physician Chiaki Mukai was the first Japanese woman in space in 1994. Iranian-American engineer and entrepreneur Anousheh Ansari paid for a trip to the International Space Station in 2006 — the first female space tourist and the first astronaut of Iranian descent.

Learn about a 13-year-old who is trying to take the first step on Mars. No one — from her father to the media to officials at NASA — is questioning her dream.

Are you or someone you know interested in pursuing a career in science, technology, engineering or math?

Learn about TechGirls, an exchange program for young girls from the Middle East and North Africa that emphasizes hands-on skills in fields such as Web design, robotics and video graphics. Girls Who Code equips girls with the skills and resources needed to pursue modern-day opportunities in computing fields. LAUNCH, founded by NASA, USAID, the Department of State and Nike, supports innovative approaches to sustainability challenges.