A Portrait of the Scientist as a Young Woman

Elkins-Tanton, principal investigator of the NASA Psyche Mission and ASU vice president for the Interplanetary Initiative, has written an engaging and candid memoir of her path to a career in science. Professor Elkins-Tanton traces her journey from experiencing childhood trauma to earning a PhD from MIT, conducting research in Siberia, getting elected to the National Academy of Sciences, and being only the second woman awarded a major NASA space exploration project. The $800 million NASA space mission to asteroid Psyche will launch in August 2022. Elkins-Tanton’s memoir spotlights the challenges and successes of being a woman in a male-dominated field. It also provides an opportunity for her to share her philosophy of life: always ask questions, but more importantly, listen to the answers.