Gay astronouts

After reviewing the NASA and United States National Archives, the photographer found no documentation on the contributions of the queer community to the space program. This conspicuous absence inspired her to create The Gay Space Agency, a diverse, inclusive fictional institution that paradoxically commemorates and celebrates the very real history of queer astronauts.

The Gay Space Agency

NASA, however, released a report in November , almost a year after the James Webb Space Telescope was launched, which found that "no available evidence directly links Webb to any actions of follow-up related to the firing of individuals for their sexual orientation ".

LGBTQ+ People in the Space Industry | Pride Month

Ride's status as a former astronaut wasn't uppermost in her mind, Flammer told me. Since Ride's death, Sally Ride Science's donors have confirmed that they "want to continue funding and supporting our programs," Flammer said. Those programs include science camps as well as global outreach efforts such as EarthKAM , which lets middle-school students request pictures of Earth to be taken by a digital camera aboard the International Space Station.

So the news that Ride was gay did not spread until after she passed away. Her obituary stated that she was survived by Tam O'Shaughnessy, her "partner of 27 years. The news electrified the space and science community, and revealed that Ride's decision to remain silent about her sexuality may not have been entirely her own.