Space exploration has always been a male-dominated industry, but it’s important to remember the pioneering women who also made waves in space travel by refusing to back down and pushing to be the first women in their respective roles.

Continue on for photos of these impressive women who laid the groundwork for those who followed in their footsteps.

Sally Ride

Sally Ride was the first American woman to travel to space – the third woman in the world after Valentina Tereshkova and Svetlana Savitskaya. In June 1983, Ride was part of the STS-7 mission on the space shuttle Challenger. She's an inspiring figure for women all across the U.S.

Kathryn D. Sullivan

One year after Ride became the first American woman in space, Kathryn Sullivan became the first American woman to do a spacewalk outside the Challenger on October 11, 1984, during space flight STS-41-G.

Eileen Collins

Breaking glass ceilings, Collins was the first woman to command a space shuttle mission, requiring her to have at least 1,000 hours of experience piloting jet aircraft. Her first commanding mission was in July 1999 and her second in July 2005.

Valentina Tereshkova

Probably the most well-known of all space-traveling women, Tereshkova was the first woman to ever go to space. This Soviet groundbreaker was chosen from more than 400 applicants for the Vostok 6 mission that launched on June 16, 1963.

Mae Jemison

On September 12, 1992, Mae Jemison became the first African-American woman to go to space when she traveled on the Endeavor as part of mission STS-47. Jemison spent 8 days in orbit performing her duties as a mission specialist.

Peggy Whitson

Whitson broke many barriers – she was the first woman to command the International Space Station in April 2008 during Expedition 16. She then went on to hold the record for the longest single space flight by a woman, spending 289 days in orbit. Finally, Whitson became the oldest woman in space after she returned from her final mission at the age of 57.