Hazel Fellows was an experienced seamstress, photographed at work in 1968 sewing an Apollo spacesuit.

Though the image became an iconic representation of the numerous skilled women behind the suit - seamstresses, pattern cutters, and assemblers - very little is known about these women, many of whom were working-class and African American, who played a vital role in the design and construction of the spacesuits worn by all twelve men who have walked on the Moon.

The Hazels honour pioneering women in the space industry, including Hazel Fellows, Iona Allen, Eleanor Foraker, Henrietta Crawford, Roberta Pilkengton, and Aylene Barker.

Iona Allen constructed Neil Armstrong’s lunar boots, while Roberta Pilkengton’s emergency repair enabled Apollo 17’s launch.

Aylene Barker’s swift sewing of a replacement heat shield helped save the Skylab mission in 1973.

Largely overlooked by history, these women’s contributions deserve recognition. The UK Space Skills Awards hope the Hazels name helps to go some way to redress this omission by honouring every individual, regardless of their background and circumstances, who shape space exploration.

The contributions of Hazel Fellows and her many unnamed, long-forgotten, and mostly overlooked colleagues are a salutary reminder that the skills needed by the space industry are broader and more wide-ranging than engineering skills alone.