Taylor ( lower right ) with girls she sent to the movie Hidden Figures in Jacksonville.
Taylor meets her idol, astronaut Mae Jemison.
would need to survive on the Red Planet, a place with very little water and no breathable air ( see Life on Mars, left ). Giving Back Taylor loved Space Camp. But it bothered her that she was the only African- American girl there. She wanted to help other girls like her discover a love of STEM. Back home in Jacksonville, Taylor held a book drive to collect STEM-themed books for students who couldn’t afford them. She went on to hold a series of book drives called “Take Flight with a Book,” which have collected more than 5,000 books so far. People began to notice Taylor’s work. In 2016, she was invited to the White House to see the movie Hidden Figures . The film tells the story of three African-American women who worked as mathematicians for NASA in the 1960s. Their
skill for astronauts. They need to talk with people from all over the world when working on the ISS. Taylor knows making it to space is a long shot. Only 107 people have visited the ISS. Just 12 have gone to the moon. But Taylor’s space heroes inspire her to reach for her goals. Last May, Taylor finally got the chance to meet Mae Jemison when the astronaut spoke at a nearby school. “She told me to dream big,” says Taylor, “and bring more women to the STEM table.”
calculations helped send the first U.S. astronauts into space. Inspired by the movie, Taylor held a fund-raiser to send 1,000 girls to see the film in Jacksonville. She earned enough extra money to send a local girl to Space Camp too. This past February, Taylor raised enough money to send 1,000 girls to see the science- fiction movie A Wrinkle in Time . Taylor hopes kids are inspired by its main character: an African-American girl who travels through space and time.
Ready for Liftoff
—Andrew Klein
What’s next for Taylor? She plans to study physics, engineering, or another STEM field in college. That’s a requirement to apply for NASA’s astronaut program ( see The Right Stuff?, page 1 ). Taylor is also studying Mandarin Chinese and 2 Spanish. Learning different languages is an important
orbit —to move in an oval- shaped path around another body, such as a star or planet simulate —to imitate the conditions of something gravity —a force that pulls objects toward each other radiation —invisible energy in the form of waves
SS08_MAYJUNE18_P10-13_SPACEGIRL VF.indd 13 Teacher: Use these questions to spark a conversation after reading. 1. How did Taylor help kids in her community discover a love for STEM? 2. Why is knowing more than one language important for an astronaut? 3. What is one question you would like to ask an astronaut about his or her experience in space?
3/19/18 10:29 AM
Session 10 23
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